


The Price Of Disloyalty

by SeafoamGalaxy



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Codenames, F/F, Kissing, Minor Character Death, Original Character-centric, Post-Canon, Rebellion, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29019453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeafoamGalaxy/pseuds/SeafoamGalaxy
Summary: Even hundreds of years after Era 3's beginning, the Great Diamond Authority Loyalists - a group dedicated to upholding Gemkind's old ways in the name of the Diamonds - have only been gaining power. But not all Gems who became a part of the group have remained content with that way of life. One small band of rebels' attempts to escape the Loyalists' iron grip will lead to a desperate fight for their lives across the galaxy - and may even lead them to discovering the truth behind the organization.(Warnings and tags to be updated as chapters are added.)
Relationships: Original Gem Character(s)/Original Gem Character(s) (Steven Universe)
Kudos: 5





	1. The Secret Rebellion

The Citrine guard raised an eyebrow at the Gem waiting peacefully in front of her. Fluorite was unarmed, stood at barely over half her height, and could hardly have been less threatening if she tried, yet she didn’t seem even the slightest bit intimidated by the pair of Quartzes blocking her way. The idle smile that lingered on her face only baffled Citrine even more.

“And you expect us to let you in anyway?” she repeated in disbelief.

Fluorite’s smile didn’t falter. “Yes. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if the fault is fixed before Heliodor returns? Important Gems like her don’t like to be kept waiting.”

“She’s got a point,” Citrine’s fellow guard mumbled under her breath.

Citrine shot her a look briefly before returning her attention to the perfectly calm Fluorite before her. She could have easily crushed this Gem with one hand, even without bothering to use her weapon. The thought was tempting. It had been centuries since anybody so weak and unimportant stood up to her unflinchingly like this and she almost longed to punish her for her insolence.

Citrine sighed and reluctantly withdrew the pike blocking her way inside. “… Be quick about it. And you’d better be gone before Heliodor gets back. If she catches you in her quarters it’ll be our gems on the line.”

The other Citrine placed her hand on the nearby access panel and the door to Heliodor’s quarters slid open. Fluorite wasted no time in stepping inside. The two-room home was lavishly furnished and decorated; such personalization was one of the few luxuries of Era Three that the Loyalists permitted, though naturally only for the upper-class Gems. Fluorite suppressed a twinge of envy as her gaze drifted over the wall tapestries and tiny glass statuettes until she spotted a cluster of deep purple leaves just beyond the doorway to the next room.

The main door slid shut behind her as she crossed into the other room. The potted plant was drooping slightly despite the solar lamp shining down on it, its leaves dull rather than shiny and reflective. She touched its soil and found it very dry. It was definitely a water fault.

All she would have to do was move the pot away from the pipe feeding into it and search for a blockage. But instead, Fluorite leaned around the doorway to check that she was completely alone. The Citrines had left the main door closed; they shouldn’t be able to hear her now.

Without another moment’s hesitation, she turned away from the plant and toward the vanity standing against the opposite wall. A touch of her finger brought up Heliodor’s holographic screen, projected over the mirror. Several files automatically opened but she ignored them completely. Examining information beyond her rank was not her intention.

Fluorite was highly conscious of every sound around her as she opened a communication channel. Before long she was entering a long passcode and bringing up a new display on the screen. At first it was blank, but within a moment she had successfully connected and a stylized image of her own green and purple gem appeared in the upper left corner.

“628 transmitting,” she said out loud. “628 transmitting, do you receive?”

Even as she spoke she was sinking to her knees beside the potted plant. It was surprisingly heavy, but after a moment of struggling she managed to drag it several inches away to expose the narrow water pipe extending from the wall. She ran a finger around the edge, dislodging a layer of dirt, and found it equally as dry as the soil.

“628 transmitting,” she repeated, running her fingers across the wall beside the pipe. She found a panel and pressed, causing it to rise beneath her fingers just enough to pry it free. At almost the same time a hushed voice spoke up from the communication display behind her.

“Triple-8 receiving.”

She glanced over and smiled; a second stylized gem had appeared in the upper right corner, this one a faceted orange teardrop. It was easy to tell that the image didn’t match the voice. Everybody who used this frequency knew that she was disguising her identity, though Fluorite was one of only two who knew who Triple-8 really was and that even her identification number was false.

“Hey, Triple-8.” Fluorite ducked low to see into the hole in the wall, the gem in place of her right eye casting a bright glow over the mechanisms within. The light cut out briefly as she produced a tool from within her gem and got to work dismantling the pipe. “Sorry, I haven’t been able to access a screen for a while. What’s the news?”

“Are you secure?”

“I’m in Heliodor 1XB’s quarters. It’s a quick job so I don’t have long.”

Triple-8 made a noise of assent before launching into her news. “491 reported being under supervision. She’s expecting to be off the radar for a few more solar cycles. 238 is on a supply run, but she expects to be back very soon.”

“How’s 2DW?”

“She’s…” Triple-8’s voice faltered for a moment. Fluorite waited, ignoring the thick sludge that dripped onto the knee of her jumpsuit from the segment of pipe she was cleaning out, until Triple-8 continued softly, “She’s on another mission offworld. I’ve been so worried about her.”

“I know,” Fluorite responded in a low voice. “Gems like her are exactly why we need to do this.”

Triple-8 sighed. “… What if our plans never work out? What if we can’t escape this? Maybe this life is really all there is for us.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that.” Fluorite fitted the last segment of pipe back into place. She twisted the knob back on and was rewarded with a brief spurt of clean water, which splashed onto the floor and mixed with the puddle of heavy green sludge the pipe had produced. With a satisfied nod, she fitted the wall panel back into place and produced a cloth from her gem to wipe her hands. “We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to get offworld, all of us. Just think about Era Three, Triple-8. Think of all the Gems out there, enjoying the freedom they never expected to have at all. We’re going to be like them someday. And then you and 2DW can finally be together.”

There was a long moment of silence before Triple-8 spoke again quietly. “… Thank you, 628.”

“Don’t give up, okay? We’re all in this together.” Fluorite sighed as she surveyed the mess on the floor. “I’d better close the connection. I need to get this place cleaned up before Heliodor gets back. Take care, Triple-8.”

“You too.”

Fluorite climbed to her feet and crossed to the screen. In a few swipes she had closed the connection and hidden all record of ever accessing it. She restored Heliodor’s files and minimized the screen again, then quickly checked to make sure she had not left any marks on the reflective surface behind it. Covering her tracks perfectly was essential. After all, if she was ever caught and the private communication frequency discovered, she wasn’t the only one who would be shattered as punishment for daring to dream of freedom.

Five minutes later Fluorite was departing Heliodor’s quarters under the watchful eye of the two Citrine guards. When Heliodor returned, the now-functioning water pipe was the only sign she would ever find of the other Gem having been there at all.

* * *

Nephrite’s fingers drummed quietly against her console. Though her eye was focused determinedly on the ship’s controls and the view of open space beyond the window, she found it impossible not to be distracted by the sound of footsteps moving around behind her and of two voices comparing last-minute notes on the cargo they were transporting.

Why did they insist on discussing this in the bridge of all places? Nephrite let out a sigh and drummed her fingers faster, almost hoping they would pick up on her irritation. She had no authority to send them away. Perhaps this ship was hers, but its current crew was composed of Gems serving different commanders. She was just going to have to put up with them.

Unless, of course, she could make them decide to leave of their own accord.

“We’ll be arriving in half a solar cycle,” she stated out loud, interrupting the conversation behind her. “I’m going to contact my commander with an update.”

“Good idea,” one of the other Gems agreed. “Before you do, we should run one final count to make sure the numbers are right. I don’t want to be the one under fire if we only have eighty of something but the stock list says eighty-one.”

“Make it a thorough check,” Nephrite stated. “I don’t care how long it takes. The numbers need to be right.”

The two Gems filed out of the bridge and the door slid shut behind them. Nephrite’s fingers stopped drumming and she sighed, this time in relief. Finally she was alone again.

A few quick swipes brought up a communication screen. Nephrite’s fingers danced over the controls, quickly lowering the volume and entering her passcode. When the icon of her gem appeared onscreen she was not surprised to find it accompanied by a square-cut pink gem.

“238 transmitting. Are you there, 1NB?”

The response came immediately. “I’ve told you, 238. Don’t ask our identifiers until we give them willingly. It would be all too easy for others to discover our passcodes and impersonate us.”

Nephrite smiled despite the admonition. She knew instantly from the other Gem’s low and emotionless voice that she was indeed 1NB. “You mean like you did?”

“Like I could have done. I don’t recall any impersonation. And I’ll thank you to not accuse me of such. What’s your current status?”

“I’m en route to the colony. The supply run was a success. But you wouldn’t believe how difficult it’s been to make these other two Gems leave me alone for long.”

“Don’t take any risks,” 1NB stated sharply.

“I told them I was going to contact my commander. They’re making a final count of the cargo bays. It could take almost the entire return trip. They’re incredibly unlikely to catch me on this frequency.”

1NB responded with a slightly dissatisfied hum. At almost the same time a brief crackle of static cut through the transmission. Both Gems fell silent at once and Nephrite’s eye flew to the screen, which had remained steady. There was none of the flickering or fuzzing she would have expected under regular interference.

“… What was that?” she asked when the noise did not return.

“Unknown. Most likely a nearby satellite disrupted the signal. It’s gone now.”

Something about the interference made Nephrite feel slightly uneasy, but she tried to put it out of her mind for now. She could look into the cause once the ship had landed, when she was no longer occupied with staying on course.

“Have you received any word from 2DW?” she enquired.

“Negative. Her mission is seemingly ongoing. The Aventurine who defected poses a great threat to the Loyalists’ way of life. Naturally, eliminating her is of the highest priority. 2DW is unlikely to have access to a screen until her mission is complete.”

Nephrite glanced uncomfortably at the door behind her before turning her attention forward again. “If one Gem defecting is such a danger…”

“You think I’m not aware of the risks? Every one of us chose this for ourselves. We will plan far better than one Gem who has decided to work alone. Nor will we make our intentions quite so obvious. The fact that she attacked and destroyed the forms of several other Gems on her way out was an incredibly stupid move. We won’t make the same mistake.”

1NB always sounded so sure of herself. It was a talent that Nephrite wished she shared. “It’s still treason. Defecting from the Great Diamond Authority Loyalists is going against the Diamonds themselves.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Until we understand the true nature of Era Three’s changes, we won’t know for certain. In order to do that we need to experience those changes properly for ourselves. Do you intend to back out of our plans?”

“No,” Nephrite responded quickly. “I mean… you’re right. I chose this path for myself. I’m in this until the end, just like the rest of us. Better to spend decades trying to escape the Loyalists’ reach than live out the rest of our lives under the old ways.”

“I’m glad you agree. Contact me again once your ship has landed.”

Before Nephrite could say anything more, 1NB’s gem had vanished from the communication screen. Nephrite closed the connection and returned her full attention to piloting the ship, trying to ignore the feeling of unease that sat squirming deep within her chest.


	2. Under Supervision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strawberry gives a report and Fluorite visits an ally.

Strawberry’s footsteps sounded far too loud against the highly polished marble floor as she walked down the hallway, flanked by a pair of Green Aventurines who stared stoically ahead without so much as a glance in her direction. She tried her best to mimic their impassive expressions and fight down the nervousness bubbling up within her. Making a good impression here was of the utmost importance.

The question of why she had been summoned in particular prodded at her thoughts. An entire squadron of Quartzes had been assigned to supervise Apricot Agate’s regular guards following the recent attack. Any of them could have been summoned to make a report. Strawberry couldn’t help but wonder nervously if she was under as much scrutiny as the team she had been assigned to watch. Maybe somebody had reported suspicious behaviour from her. And she thought she had been covering her tracks so well.

On the subject of covering her tracks, she certainly hoped she wasn’t leaving a trail of dirt from her boots all over this perfectly clean floor. That would certainly reflect badly on her. The thought almost made her glance over her shoulder to check, but she restrained herself at the last moment.

The Green Aventurine pair guided her to a door at the end of the hallway, at which point they parted wordlessly to stand guard on either side of it. One pressed her hand against a nearby panel and the door slid open. Strawberry drew a deep breath and bravely stepped into the room beyond.

Her first impression was of how orange everything was. The walls, the furniture, the lighting, and even the thick woven rug that muffled her footsteps as she entered. At first she thought the room was unoccupied, but then a subtle hint of movement drew her attention to an equally orange Pearl who was standing patiently beside the desk against the far wall, casting surreptitious glances in her direction. The Pearl quickly looked away, toward the high-backed chair positioned in front of the desk.

“My Agate, you have a visitor,” she said in a hushed voice.

Apricot Agate turned in her chair and leaned over the armrest to see her guest. “Ah, you’re the guard I summoned, correct?”

Strawberry quickly assumed a Diamond salute. “Yes, my Agate. Strawberry Quartz Facet-4 Cut-4SK at your service.”

There was a slight indrawn breath from the Pearl. She went ignored by both Quartzes.

Apricot Agate rose and stepped away from her desk to face Strawberry properly. “Well, don’t keep me waiting. What news do you have regarding the missing Tiger’s Eye? Do we have another rebel on our hands? And what of my other guards?”

“Tiger’s Eye was found shattered at the border of the metalworking district,” Strawberry stated, trying her best not to think about the unpleasant scene she had witnessed. “Carnelian thinks that her gem was cracked in the fight against the rebel and she ran away out of fear. Whether she fell and exacerbated the damage or somebody finished her off is still to be determined.”

Apricot Agate made a noise of displeasure. “I suppose cowardice is preferable to being a traitor. Isn’t that right, Pearl?”

The Pearl flinched, startled at being addressed. Quickly she composed herself and nodded. “Of course, my Agate.” She glanced toward Strawberry again and then averted her gaze, busying herself with tidying up the desk beside her. Strawberry had to fight the urge to shuffle her feet in discomfort and instead stood up straighter.

“My squadron and I have watched every move your guards have made,” she stated, “and not a single one has shown any suspicious behaviour. We believe the Green Aventurine who defected was an outlier and had no co-conspirators.”

“Good, good. Having to wait for new guards to learn their way around is so tiring. They never arrive on time. I’ll be glad to get what’s left of my previous group back.” Apricot Agate had heard all that she needed to hear. She turned away, waving a hand vaguely toward the door. “You’re dismissed. Tell my old guards that I wish to see them lined up outside my door by the start of the next solar cycle.”

“Understood, my Agate.” Strawberry finally dropped the salute and turned to leave. Just beyond the doorway the two Green Aventurines resumed their positions on either side of her, but this time she didn’t mind. It felt as though a tight band that had been constricting her chest had loosened. Maybe she was not under suspicion at all.

As the trio retraced their steps back toward the entrance, she glanced down at the floor and couldn’t suppress a smile. She had not left tracks after all.

* * *

Sugilite could hardly remember being more irritated in her two and a half thousand years of life.

The fact that the rebel had lived and plotted right under her very nose was one thing. She could accept that, as well as the suspicion that now lingered around every other Quartz who had been serving in the lesser palace at the time. She was certainly not happy about it, but she could accept it.

What she refused to tolerate peacefully was the fact that she was being blamed for not raising the alarm. Her superiors did not care in the slightest that she had been at the far side of the palace when the attack took place. She had failed to alert the guards, so apparently she deserved her share of the suspicion as well.

Of course, the Gems currently supervising her had all been keeping their distance. A Sugilite in a bad mood was not somebody they wanted to mess with - and she had been in a constant bad mood ever since being admonished for her failure. She was still highly aware of their presence, though. It was hard not to be when almost every time she turned a corner she found one of them lurking there.

Sugilite let out a growl of frustration as she stormed down the hallway, leaving behind the Ruby whom she had just caught spying on her. “This is beyond unacceptable,” she snarled under her breath. “Don’t they care that this is impacting my job? How am I supposed to find suspicious intruders if half the Gems I see are acting suspicious and don’t belong here?”

She rounded a corner and came face to face with a pair of Green Aventurines and a Strawberry Quartz. One of the green Gems gave her a wary look and she growled again in response, turning away to storm off down a different hallway. She was really beginning to wish for some time to herself. Even if she couldn’t contact her allies, it would be nice to simply be left to her own thoughts for an hour or two.

She couldn’t wait until they had settled on a solid plan and were finally leaving this accursed planet far behind them.

“Excuse me, is this a bad time?“

Sugilite spun around to shoot an enraged look at the Gem who had spoken, only for her glare to immediately falter. Her eyes widened slightly in shock and recognition at the sight of the familiar Fluorite who had stopped her. For a moment she was caught completely off-guard. “Wha… what are you doing here?”

“Sapphire 2JN reported a fault in her quarters,” Fluorite explained. Her tone was as polite as one would expect of a low-ranking Gem addressing her superior, but her eyes conveyed a far different meaning than her words suggested. Her gaze flickered past Sugilite for a moment before she added, “Could I ask where to go?”

Sugilite pulled herself together quickly. She was fully aware that Fluorite knew her way around the lesser palace. But right now, out in the open and with other Gems nearby, both of them needed to be all business. She nodded shortly and turned on her heel. “Follow me.”

The Ruby was lurking in a nearby hallway, clearly trying to stay out of sight. Sugilite ignored her completely as she strode past. Fluorite was not far behind and she eyed the Ruby curiously as she passed, though before long she was hurrying after the violet Gem again.

“Sapphire 2JN’s quarters,” Sugilite announced a few moments later. She placed a hand on the door panel to allow access. “Her guards are currently accompanying her on her job, so I’ll supervise your work in their place.”

“I’ll get right to work, then.” Fluorite was already producing a tool from her gem as she entered the room. Sugilite was only a few steps behind and the door slid smoothly shut behind her, leaving Ruby stuck on the other side.

As soon as they were alone, Sugilite slumped back against the door with a long, drawn-out sigh. “Stars, I’m so tired of being followed everywhere. Thanks for the save.”

“Triple-8 tipped me off that you were under supervision,” Fluorite explained. She perched on the armrest of a nearby chair, resting her tool across her knees. “That Ruby is the one watching you? I expected somebody more important.”

“A third of the colony’s Quartzes aren’t being trusted to do anything but menial work right now,” Sugilite pointed out. “Anyone who can guard and isn’t busy with another job is being assigned wherever they’re needed. So far I’ve been followed around by three different Rubies, a Malachite, an Amethyst, and a Zebra Jasper.”

“This has something to do with the Quartz who defected, doesn’t it? All I know is that she’d been working here.”

“Yeah. She destroyed the forms of three other Quartzes and a Pearl on her way out, and another Quartz went missing in all of the chaos. So I’m being blamed for the fact she knew my routine and waited until my rounds took me as far away as possible so I couldn’t raise the alarm.” She huffed in displeasure. “If I’d just noticed her acting suspicious…”

“She must have been desperate to get away,” Fluorite agreed quietly. “I wish we’d had a chance to invite her to join us, but what’s done is done. Unfortunately, her doing this has made it harder for the rest of us. We’re going to need to be more careful than ever until the suspicion dies down.”

“Yeah…” Sugilite slid down to the floor, stretching her legs out in front of her. She rested her head back against the door and closed her eyes. “You know 2DW is offworld on a mission, right? She’s out hunting down that rebel.”

“You think so? Do you know who she is?” Fluorite enquired, intrigued.

“We haven’t met in person. But she’s an Azurite or a Malachite, yeah? A team of them was sent out right after the attack. It adds up.”

“I hope she stays safe out there,” Fluorite said quietly. “With any luck, that Quartz will get far enough away to shake off any pursuits so they don’t need to confront her.”

Sugilite grunted. “If the team fails to catch up, that might be worse for 2DW than having to fight the rebel. White Opal isn’t exactly known for her mercy.”

Fluorite bit her lip but didn’t reply. She was not important enough to have ever been summoned before White Opal, but she had certainly heard stories. Failure was not something she tolerated well.

A moment of silence passed between them before Sugilite opened her eyes again. “How long do you expect it’d take to complete a real job here?”

“About this long.” Fluorite sighed and rose to her feet. “I’d better get going before somebody gets suspicious. Sorry I couldn’t give you a longer break.”

“Even this was better than nothing.” Sugilite pushed herself upright and stretched her arms over her head. The door slid open at her touch and she stepped out into the hallway, her disgruntled expression back in place.

Fluorite slipped out after her and flashed an apologetic smile to the very unhappy-looking Ruby who had been waiting a short distance away. “Sorry. It was an urgent job.” She twirled her tool in her hands before returning it to its place within her gem. “I’ll show myself out,” she added to Sugilite.

“Make sure you do,” she grunted in response. Without another glance at her friend she turned and strode away, Ruby hurrying along a safe distance behind her. Fluorite watched them go for a moment before setting off in the opposite direction, her mind buzzing with thoughts and concerns.


	3. Pre-Dawn Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluorite visits another friend and Azurite returns.

Even in the depths of night the city was illuminated brightly. The tubes that served as pathways and transporters all over the colony shone brighter than ever in the darkness, making the city glow with neon colours that seemed to alter the hue of every Gem within range of their light. They trailed up the sides of buildings and towers like some type of lurid exoskeleton, ensuring that no Gem working in the city would ever get lost even when the rest of the planet was in almost complete darkness.

Fluorite liked the light. She didn’t need it; her job took her all over the colony on a regular basis and she could have found her way even in complete darkness. But in the glow of the tubes, any Gem could look like somebody she was not. Somehow it made Fluorite feel relaxed to sit atop a building and watch Gems making their way from place to place, each one almost completely impossible to identify from a distance.

Tonight, though, she had no time to people-watch even when her task list was complete. As soon as she had finished the last job she was out on the pathways again herself, following a row of blue tubes toward the commoners’ district. The light that illuminated her body brought out the blue in her own form and she found herself idly wondering what type of Gem she might look like from a distance. Despite the uniform that marked her as a common worker, she liked the thought of being mistaken for somebody important.

She stepped off the blue tube and began to follow a yellow one toward one of the city’s garrisons. A series of yells drifted to her on the cool night air as she approached and her eyes followed the sound toward a gathering of Quartzes some distance from the building, clearly undergoing some type of training exercise. There was no pink among them, she noted quickly.

The Tiger’s Eye guarding the entrance barely glanced in her direction as she passed by into the garrison. These were always the noisiest places in the colony, she observed as a loud shout of laughter erupted from somewhere upstairs. Quartzes could be all business when they wanted to be, but when they were off-duty they had a tendency to be very playful and raucous.

Carefully Fluorite navigated the passages, dodging Quartzes who made no attempt to avoid bumping into her. One or two of them eyed her curiously but they left her alone; it was clear that she knew exactly where she was going.

A flash of fuchsia hair caught her attention. There was her target, leaning against a wall and quietly watching a trio of Amethysts playing a game on the floor. Her eyes followed their hands as they sorted and exchanged small round stones in a pattern which made no sense to Fluorite, but which the Quartzes clearly understood perfectly.

“Strawberry Quartz 4SK?”

Strawberry looked up, startled. When her eyes found who had spoken she straightened up at once. “Yes, that’s me.”

Fluorite smiled. “You’ve been summoned. I’m supposed to escort you.”

There was a drawn-out ‘ooh’ from the trio of Amethysts as they looked up from their game. “Somebody’s in trouble!” one of them hooted, leering up at Strawberry.

The pink Gem’s expression was impassive as she stepped around her. “You miscounted on the last round.” She didn’t bother looking back as she followed Fluorite out, accompanied by a startled shout from the Amethyst at realizing her count was off by three.

Nobody stopped the pair as Fluorite led the way out of the garrison. She strode purposefully along the path, Strawberry right behind her, until another building had blocked the guard from view. At that point Fluorite left the path and slipped quietly into an alleyway, where an out-of-sight entrance led into a maintenance room.

When the door had been closed again behind them, Fluorite turned to give Strawberry an apologetic smile. “Sorry about dragging you away like this.”

Strawberry waved away the apology. “Don’t worry about it. Those other Quartzes even get on my nerves too sometimes.”

“You still haven’t been reassigned back to your old squadron?” Fluorite perched on the edge of a crate and gave her a sympathetic look.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen. Especially not now. Three of them were serving in the same group as that rebel.” She sighed. “At least Carnelian hasn’t been assigned somewhere else yet. I can still talk to her. At least until we leave…”

She bit her lip and shook her head, her fluffy hair bouncing from side to side. “Never mind that. Have you had much contact with the others?”

“Not as much as I’d like. 238 and 2DW are offworld and 491 is taking part of the blame for the attack. But what about you? What news do you have to report?”

Strawberry sank down on the floor and leaned back against one of the crates with a sigh. “Well, I know even White Opal’s Pearl has her work cut out for her right now. I’ve seen her a few times and it’s like she never stops moving. She’s all over the colony, trying to watch everyone at once. I think White might’ve even assigned her some temporary assistants to help gather information.”

“Everyone’s spying on everyone right now,” Fluorite commented.

“It sure seems that way. I haven’t even dared try to use a screen recently. It’s too easy to get caught. Plus I’ve been assigned all over the place myself. Watching the supervised Gems’ training drills, taking over jobs for some of the other Quartzes… I was even called in to give Apricot Agate a report yesterday. You know, cheek gem? The one with the Pearl?”

Fluorite paused momentarily. “Yes, I’m familiar with her.”

“I just about dissipated my form out of anxiety on the way there. I thought somebody might’ve reported me to her. But it seemed like she just picked one of my squadron at random to give a report. She doesn’t seem to have her eye on me at all. That was a relief. And her guards have gone back to their positions, so I won’t need to worry about her again for a while.”

“You’re being reassigned?”

“Mookaite told me to see her at sunrise. That’s when I’ll find out what my next job is. I just hope it’s somewhere I can access a screen once in a while.”

“None of us will hold it against you if you need to lie low for a while,” Fluorite pointed out. “Staying under the radar is more important. Once this blows over we’ll have time to work on plans again.”

Strawberry responded with a rueful smile. “I know, but that time can’t come fast enough. I just want to get off this planet for good. Even if it means leaving Carnelian behind.”

“You don’t think she’d ever be tempted to run away too, do you?” Fluorite questioned. “I mean, she’s been through the same things you have. All those Gems who were assigned elsewhere were her friends too. She must miss them as much as you do.”

“It’s not the same. Carnelian fits right in with our new group. I don’t think she even thinks about our old squadron at all any more. And in any case, she’s too loyal to the Great Diamond Authority. If she even suspected I was thinking about defecting, she’d report me so fast it’d make my head spin.” She sighed. “She’d never think about joining us. She’s happy here.”

“I’m sorry,” Fluorite told her quietly.

Strawberry shook her head and forced a smile. “Anyway, once I start my next assignment I’ll try to get some time alone with a screen. The others might think I changed my mind about leaving if they don’t hear from me again soon. You’re still going unnoticed, right?”

“I haven’t made a mistake like I did with 1NB again, if that’s what you mean,” Fluorite said dryly.

Strawberry chuckled quietly. “I mean, if anybody had to track down our frequency and hijack your passcode, having it be somebody else who already shared our aims was the best possible result.”

“Well, I don’t plan on letting that happen again. I’m being as careful as I possibly can.”

Strawberry nodded and let her head fall back against the crate behind her with a muffled thump. She heaved a sigh. “As much as I want to stay here for a while longer, I should probably be getting back. We don’t need anybody asking too many questions and finding out nobody really summoned me.”

“Right. Under the radar.”

Fluorite stood and crossed to the door, where she paused to listen for a moment before placing her hand against the panel. It slid open and she leaned out, glancing left and right along the alleyway. There was nobody in sight. “It’s clear.”

“Talk to you again soon,” Strawberry whispered as she passed the smaller Gem. Within moments she had left the alleyway and was making her way back toward the garrison. Fluorite lingered for a moment longer before departing quietly in the opposite direction.

* * *

The first light of dawn was barely touching the highest towers of the lesser palace when a solemn group arrived on its doorstep.

The Quartzes guarding the entrance had immediately straightened up at the sight of the five Gems coming toward them. The trio of Azurites who led the way marched in perfect unison, their expressions cold and detached in an intimidating way that few other Gems could achieve. Despite their small builds, every Gem in their path quickly moved aside to make way for them. As they drew closer the guards could see the pair of Malachites following closely behind, looking rather more subdued.

The guards had already opened the way for the group by the time they ascended the steps to the palace entrance. They entered without a word and set off down the hallway.

The sound of their marching footsteps echoed loudly on the marble floor. From around various doorways and corners multiple Gems appeared, each trying not to look too curious as they watched the procession pass by. One of the Malachites glanced to the side in time to see a Sugilite watching warily, though she made no attempt to intercept them. Everybody knew why they were here.

Apricot Agate’s Pearl heard the sound before she did. Her indrawn breath caught the attention of her owner, who had been busy reviewing messages on her personal screen. Apricot Agate glanced up to find her servant’s gaze fixed alertly on the door. “What is it, Pearl?”

“I think the hit team has returned, my Agate,” Pearl responded quietly.

“Ah, excellent. Let them in.”

Pearl obeyed and crossed swiftly to the door. As it slid open she caught sight of the approaching group, who had almost reached her owner’s quarters. Quickly Pearl stepped aside, positioning herself to one side of the doorway as the footsteps drew closer.

The Malachites split off wordlessly to stand guard outside as the trio of Azurites entered. The rug muffled their final few steps before they halted smartly and instantly assumed Diamond salutes. Only when they had stopped did Apricot Agate finally rise to face them.

“I do hope you’re bringing good news for me,” she stated smoothly. “Well? Was your mission a success?”

The lead Azurite fixed her gaze firmly on a spot just over Apricot Agate’s left shoulder, as though her news would be better accepted by the wall behind her. “Negative. We pursued the traitor to an uncolonized planet, where she attempted to flee her ship and hide. We were closing in on her position when she somehow managed to sneak past us. She escaped to the stars and we lost her trail.”

“You failed?” Apricot Agate repeated incredulously. “I sent a team of specialized bounty hunters to destroy one single traitorous Quartz, and they _failed?_ My own guards would have done a better job! This is disgraceful, 2DW. I’ll be reporting this to our lustrous leaders.”

The lead Azurite inclined her head slightly. “With all due respect, Apricot Agate, the Quartz in question was an Aventurine. She was smarter than the average Quartz. Not only that, but her ship was clearly designed for speed and proved very effective at evading pursuits.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Apricot Agate stated coldly. “The ship in question was my fastest. I had hoped to get it back in salvageable shape. Due to your inattentiveness, I won’t be getting it back at all. I’m incredibly disappointed by your performance.”

The trio didn’t respond. Gritting her teeth as though biting back more angry words, Apricot Agate turned her back to them and rested both hands against her desk. “Leave my quarters at once. I need to report your incompetence.”

She was already taking her seat once again as the Azurites turned to leave. From her place beside the door, Pearl finally dared to look at them properly even as the lead Azurite glanced over and saw her. For a moment they held their gaze, blue eyes and orange taking each other in, before the sound of marching feet broke the spell. The lead Azurite tore her eyes away and fell into step with her companions as they departed the room, leaving Pearl standing in the doorway and gazing silently after them.


	4. Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious Gem interferes with communications, and Strawberry receives an unexpected assignment.

“I have news to report,” Nephrite blurted out the moment the connection opened. She was alone in her ship, hunched tensely over the communication console, fingers gripping its edges so tightly her knuckles ached. She hardly cared that her announcement had cut short a conversation between 1NB and Triple-8, whose gems had appeared onscreen along with her own.

1NB sighed in annoyance. “Follow procedure, please.”

“Yes yes, 238 transmitting, 1NB and Triple-8 receiving. Skip the procedure. I’ve discovered the cause of the interference the other day.”

“Interference?” Triple-8 questioned.

1NB sounded almost bored when she responded. “My last communication with 238 was interrupted by a burst of interference. It was only momentary and I assume caused by a foreign signal. It’s irrelevant.”

“It could hardly be more relevant,” Nephrite responded tensely. “I’ve traced the source through multiple satellites and to a communication hub in an abandoned colony. Our signal was intercepted. An offworld Gem was listening in on us.”

That certainly caught Triple-8’s attention. “An offworld Gem? It couldn’t be some other intelligent species receiving the signal by mistake?”

“Only a Gem could have routed the signal through a communication hub,” 1NB pointed out. “Interesting, yes, but hardly important. You forget that offworld Gems are currently enjoying the freedom of Era Three. Only the Gems who make their homes on this planet are a threat to our plans.”

“You haven’t been out there like I have,” Nephrite pointed out impatiently. “The entire reason the Loyalists have such a great reach is because of Gems who leave the planet, who travel to other Gem-controlled worlds and recruit allies. There are even Loyalists who live permanently on other worlds to recruit others. If one of them has found out about us, we’re as good as shattered.”

A moment of tense silence followed her words before Triple-8 spoke up again. “What do we do? If we change the frequency we use, one of you would need to get the message to everybody else in person. That’s going to be more difficult that ever with the entire colony still being on high alert.”

Nephrite’s response died on her lips when a crackle of interference cut through the transmission. For several seconds nobody spoke. Nephrite could almost imagine both of her allies staring in fear at their screens just as she was doing, weighing up just how safe the connection really was. At any moment they would disconnect and their best way to communicate would be gone.

She was wrong.

“I’ve got it,” Triple-8 whispered a moment later. At the same time a fourth icon appeared onscreen. This one was not a stylized image; it was a video feed which displayed a darkened room, illuminated only by the glow of multiple screens. The light was enough to show the edge of a chair, but the figure in it was out of frame.

Nephrite reeled back from the screen in amazement. She had known Triple-8 was good with a screen, but this was beyond anything she would have expected. It seemed to startle the Gem on the other side just as much; the sudden sound of movement came through the transmission as she quickly shifted in her seat, making sure she was fully out of view.

“Impressive.” The stranger’s voice was low but clear. Nephrite couldn’t quite place it, but she knew she had heard one just like it countless times in the past. “Triple-8, was it? You’ve got some talent. You could show up any Peridot I’ve ever met.”

“Identify yourself,” 1NB ordered.

“Assuming you’re all going by your true identifiers, you can call me 2XB. If not, well, call me that anyway. And before you ask, I’m a free Gem. I’m not your enemy.”

“How do you expect us to believe that?” 1NB responded impatiently. “We know nothing about you other than that you have skills of your own with technology.”

2XB chuckled slightly. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I don’t expect you to believe it. You can come to your own conclusions about me.”

Nephrite finally found her voice again. “How did you come across this signal?”

“It’s a long story, but I got lucky. Your transmission interfered with an old satellite I was checking out. Looking into these things is kind of what I do, so I traced it. And here I am. To tell the truth, if you hadn’t hacked one of my screens I would’ve made contact with you anyway sooner or later. You guys have caught my interest.”

“Why would that be?”

“Let’s just say I have a feeling that our aims might match up perfectly. I understand if you want to change your communication methods and shake me off, but I think we can help each other.”

“What would you ask of us?” 1NB enquired warily.

“Nothing yet. Well, aside from your cooperation. I’ve got some ideas that might help you kickstart your plans, but you’ll need to be willing to listen. We can discuss the rest another time.”

Another moment of silence passed between them. Something about this stranger’s easygoing tone made Nephrite want to trust her, but she was reluctant to say as much. If 2XB was trying to manipulate them, she didn’t want to make it easier for her by influencing the others’ opinions.

Triple-8 finally spoke up again. “I’ve pinpointed the location of the signal and searched the archives for the coordinates. The colony was abandoned in Era Two due to low mineral resources and rebel activity. It’s not under Loyalist control.”

2XB let out a low whistle. “Stars, you’re good. You’d have to be somebody high-ranking, right? With a cut like that… a Bytownite? You don’t sound like a Grossular.”

Triple-8 didn’t reply. 2XB seemed to accept her silence and immediately dropped the subject. “But you’re right. The planet with the nearest communication hub does match that description. It’s empty now, as far as I know. Even the rebels who lived there have taken to the stars again now that they don’t have to hide. For all I know, I could be the only Gem around for light years.”

“She’s telling the truth,” Triple-8 stated quietly. “At least, as far as I can tell. This seems genuine.”

There was a short pause before 1NB spoke again. “Fine then. If you’re being truthful, we’ll cooperate with you on one condition. You can share as many ideas with us as you like, but we’re going to discuss them among ourselves first. If we disagree with them we’ll choose not to use them.”

2XB didn’t seem disappointed at all. “Smart. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, 1NB. It sounds like we’ve got a deal.”

“For now,” 1NB added.

Nephrite bit her lip, debating whether or not voice her question. “Those ideas… what type of things would you suggest?”

“Getting right into it, huh? First of all, I think the most important things to discuss are your security and communication…”

* * *

There was a persistent flutter of anxiety deep within Strawberry’s chest. Perhaps this time there were no other guards escorting her to her destination, but the fact that she had been pulled from her new assignment after only a few days certainly set off alarm bells in her mind. Maybe her secret really was out. And she thought she had been covering her tracks so well. She had not even touched a screen in dozens of solar cycles.

The garrison was all but empty today when she arrived. Upstairs she could hear two or three Quartzes conversing in loud voices, clearly on their scheduled breaks. The rest of her squadron would be working their new assignments just as she should have been, with no cloud of suspicion lurking over their heads to interfere.

There was nobody around to see Strawberry pause outside of her commander’s office to take a few steadying breaths. The bitter taste of the planet’s air galvanized her into action and she placed her hand firmly on the door panel, ready to face whatever happened with her head held high.

Mookaite was facing away from the door, but she heard it open and raised a hand for silence before turning back to her call. “It would be a waste. We’re already short of guards following the recent attack.”

“My Opal doesn’t care,” a haughty voice responded. Edging slightly to one side to see the screen more clearly, Strawberry saw the familiar arrogant expression belonging to White Opal’s Pearl. The sight sent a chill up her spine. Somebody was about to be punished on the colony leaders’ orders, and she sincerely hoped that it was not her.

The Pearl’s eyes flicked to one side, noticing Strawberry, before she dismissed her as unimportant and directed her attention back to Mookaite. “Betrayal is not something to be taken lightly. You should know that. For something like this to occur… well, it’s simply inexcusable.”

“There’s no evidence that Carnelian was an accomplice,” Mookaite argued, causing another unpleasant jolt somewhere in Strawberry’s midsection.

“Evidence is unnecessary. My Opal ordered for her to be shattered, so see that it’s done.”

Pearl’s face vanished from the screen as the call was ended. With a deep sigh, Mookaite swiped the video window away and turned on her heel to face Strawberry, who was frozen with an expression of horror on her face. “Come in. Shut the door behind you.”

With difficulty, Strawberry forced her legs to move and took a few unsteady steps into the room. As the door slid shut behind her she blurted out the first thought that crossed her mind. “Carnelian is a traitor? Our squadron’s Carnelian?”

The Jasper ran a hand through her untidy hair, looking harassed. “I don’t know that. I don’t think anybody does other than Carnelian herself. But White Opal seems to be convinced that she’s the one who shattered that Tiger’s Eye.”

“But she can’t be! There’s nobody more loyal than her. She’s-”

Mookaite held up a hand to silence her. “Look, I know you two have worked together your whole lives. But this isn’t up to you, nor is it up to me. I’m not going to discuss it with you further. Understood?”

A thousand protests and pleas lingered on Strawberry’s tongue, but she swallowed them with difficulty. “… Yes, commander. You wanted to see me?”

“I did.” Mookaite beckoned her closer and turned to face her screen again. As Strawberry nervously made her way over she watched her commander pull up a file. Not a list of evidence against her, she realized with relief, but another assignment.

“You’ve been requested personally as a bodyguard,” Mookaite explained as Strawberry quickly scanned over the job details. “By a very important Gem, no less. You’ve always been reliable, but I need to reiterate. Don’t mess this one up. Considering her status it might be the last thing you do.”

She tapped the attached map and it enlarged at once, highlighting the job location clearly. “You don’t need an escort to find your way, correct?”

“No, commander.”

“Good. Be on your way, and ensure you meet all of her standards.”

Strawberry responded with a firm nod and turned to leave at once. Within moments she was out on the pathways again, her mind buzzing with thoughts even as her feet followed the paths toward the tower that had been highlighted on the map.

Why would somebody have requested her personally? Especially such an important Gem? Strawberry would have expected somebody like that to want a team of Rubies for extra security, or perhaps even one of the colony’s few Herkimers if she was looking to show off her status. But what good reason was there to request a Gem like her? The question swirled around and around in her mind, making her increasingly nervous the longer she thought about it.

With an effort she pushed it away. It would do her no good to work herself up into a state of distress when she would soon learn the truth anyway.

Morganite’s tower stood near the edge of the high-ranking Gems’ district, amid numerous other elaborate structures of impenetrable glass and the highest-quality stone. On the surface it appeared to be pieced together from countless geometric shapes which fit together seamlessly, gradually growing narrower as it ascended and culminating in a sweeping viewing platform which hid Morganite’s quarters from view from below. From the top she would surely have a good view of the golden marble walls of the lesser palace, not too far to the south. Maybe, if she was lucky, Strawberry would be permitted to look out over it herself.

She halted in front of the tower. There were no guards to let her in, which came as a source of great confusion. Why would Morganite only want one single guard? Another flicker of nervousness crossed her mind, though she quickly pushed it away as the door slid open.

Strawberry sprang into a Diamond salute so quickly that her wrists knocked together painfully. She suppressed any sign of discomfort as the small pink Gem ahead of her stepped outside delicately, her long dress whispering over the ground. Morganite stood no taller than a Ruby, but Strawberry knew better than to underestimate her importance. After all, Beryls like her had once served directly under the Diamonds.

“My new bodyguard, I presume.” It sounded more like a statement than a question, but Strawberry answered anyway.

“Yes, my Morganite. Strawberry Quartz Facet-4 Cut-4SK. For as long as I serve you, I promise to protect you with my life.”

The smaller Gem was scrutinizing her closely. “Thank you, 4SK. I am Morganite Facet-6 Cut-1NB.”

Strawberry’s salute faltered and she drew a sharp breath, her eyes growing wide in shock. _1NB?_

Her reaction seemed to have been the one Morganite wanted; a flicker of a smile crossed her face before she fell back into her neutral expression. “Good. You are the correct one after all. Come inside. We have much to discuss and I would prefer not to do that in the open.”

Her dress and long hair swished gracefully behind her as she turned and reentered the tower. Strawberry followed, feeling slightly dazed. Now she certainly understood why she had been personally requested. The main question was _why now?_

The door slid shut and Morganite faced Strawberry again. “While you’re inside this tower you’re free to speak your mind. I live alone, at my request. Now, I’m sure you have many questions for me. Feel free to ask.”

Strawberry opened her mouth to voice her question, only for a different one to come out. “How?”

“Triple-8,” Morganite explained simply, gesturing for Strawberry to follow. Together they began to ascend a staircase that spiralled up toward the top of the tower. “As it turns out, she has access to a great wealth of information. She has known precisely who all of us are for quite some time. When I was informed that you are a Strawberry Quartz, and one not under suspicion, I knew what to do.”

“But why now?” Strawberry finally managed to say. “You could have waited years longer or requested me a long time ago. Why now of all times?”

“Because something happened several hours previously,” Morganite explained, glancing over her shoulder at Strawberry, “which has changed a great deal for us. Escaping this planet no longer feels like a distant dream. We now have help on the outside, 4SK. Whether that help proves reliable is another question, but for now we are not alone.”

“We… what? What do you mean, help?”

Another brief flicker of a smile. “Let’s get upstairs. There I’ll tell you everything I know about 2XB.”


	5. Forgotten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluorite obtains a new way to stay in contact and Strawberry learns something unexpected about a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to my evil sidekick, Etothefifth, for helping with planning.

The night was drawing to a close by the time Fluorite finally completed her final active task. Her shifts only seemed to get longer and longer, she thought tiredly to herself as she made her way back to the workers’ district, hoping silently that her break lasted longer than a few minutes this time. She felt pushed to the limits of her energy and she desperately needed some time to sit down and do nothing.

The Fluorites’ quarters stood at the very edge of the district, a collection of squat and unappealing structures of grey stone that were tucked away out of sight behind a warehouse. It had been years since Fluorite bothered to enter her assigned building’s depressingly bland interior, which felt barely big enough for the off-duty Gems who had little choice but to stand crowded together without so much as an alcove to call their own. Perhaps some would endure it for the sake of perfect conformity, but she had better places to spend her break.

Concealed from view around the side of the warehouse, Fluorite glanced around to make sure nobody could see her before placing one foot against the outer wall. Her hair swung toward the building as her gravity shifted and she bounded quickly up the side, seizing the edge of the rooftop to swing herself over and land lightly in a crouch.

At once she was alert. Something felt out of place, though she could not immediately tell what gave her that feeling. Slowly Fluorite straightened up, her entire body tense as her eyes scanned the rooftop, until she realized what had caught her attention. One of the ceiling panels had been pried loose and propped up slightly with a small piece of rock. As she approached cautiously, alert for any traps, she caught sight of something that had been tucked almost out of view underneath it. It was a screen, she realized as she knelt down to examine the gap. But why would somebody have hidden a screen here?

Her hand was just small enough to slip beneath the panel and retrieve the device. There was no way that she was permitted to be holding this right now, she thought with a hint of nervousness. If it had somehow been stolen, the right thing to do would be to stealthily return it to its true owner and never give any sign that she had ever laid a hand on it. But when she cautiously expanded it to see who it might belong to, the first thing that appeared onscreen was her full identifier.

Fluorite’s breath caught and she immediately shrank the screen again, concealing it in her cupped hands. Suddenly the exhaustion of a few moments earlier was gone and her entire body felt alive with energy. One of her allies must have left this for her. But the only reason they would take such a risk would be if they finally had a solid plan that they truly believed would work.

Fluorite drew several deep breaths to compose herself before glancing down at the device again. She had to make contact and find out what was happening, but this was certainly not a safe place. She had to go where nobody would overhear her. She stored the device away in her gem before crossing to the edge of the rooftop again, where she checked once more for any nearby observers before jumping lightly down to the ground.

If there was one thing she liked about her low status, it was that nobody paid her the slightest attention as she strode purposefully through the district. They would all assume that she was heading for a job destination. Tonight that unintentional invisibility was even sweeter than usual, especially when she found herself walking slightly too fast in her hurry to find a suitable hiding spot.

Minutes later Fluorite was letting herself quietly into a maintenance room and keying in a code to lock the door behind her. The moment she was safe she was summoning the screen from her gem again, clutching it almost possessively as she found a spot to huddle up behind a row of machines. Finally, certain that nobody would catch her, she dared to expand the screen again and examine it properly.

It seemed to be a very basic model. She found herself frowning slightly as she flicked through folders and applications, noticing just how many features that she had seen on other devices were absent. This must be the variety generally used by Pearls to help manage their owners’ schedules. She had not realized there was such a great variance in the technology granted to different Gem types. But the only thing that really mattered was whether or not the communication channels were locked.

A smile crossed her face when the communications screen opened beneath her fingertips. Quickly she accessed the right frequency and typed in her passcode, trying her best to keep her hand from trembling in anticipation.

“628 transmitting.” Her voice sounded surprisingly calm as she spoke, her eyes fixed firmly upon the lime-green cabochon that had appeared alongside her own gem.

238 responded quickly. “Hey, 628. Has somebody caught you up on what’s happening?”

It must be big if it was the first thing she wanted to talk about, Fluorite thought with mounting excitement. “No, but I know something is going on. Somebody took the risk of sneaking this screen to me. Is there a plan?”

“The beginnings of one. It’s kind of a long story. On my way back from my last mission, my communication with 1NB got intercepted…”

Fluorite’s fingers tightly gripped the edges of the screen as she eagerly drank in every word of 238’s explanation. An entire world of possibilities seemed to be opening up right before her eyes. An offworld Gem was willing to help them escape. Not only that, but an offworld Gem who was clearly skilled at putting plans together with the information she was given. Not only was their escape possible, it now looked highly likely.

“We’re going to be free,” she breathed once 238 had finished talking.

“It’s exciting, right? 1NB is still wary but she’s already started to put plans into motion. Apparently she’s already met up with 4SK for easier communication. I asked Triple-8 if we could meet-“

“But nobody meets with Triple-8,” Fluorite finished for her. “Even I haven’t seen her since she set up this frequency and gave me my passcode. You’d have better luck meeting anybody else.”

“Yeah,” 238 sighed in resignation. “Regardless, I’m going to coordinate with 2DW just after sunrise. Between the two of us I expect we’ll be able to begin making progress on the escape plan. Take care, 628. 238 out.”

After 238’s gem had vanished from the screen, Fluorite closed the connection and sat there hugging her new device close to her chest. The thought of finally being free was like an electric current coursing through her body, flooding her with energy. Even the knowledge that she would need to act normal and continue her work for a while longer only dampened her mood slightly. Soon enough it would finally be over for good.

She stored her screen away in her gem and climbed to her feet, ready to face her next shift with a smile on her face.

* * *

By sunrise the spaceport was bustling with activity. Two freighters had arrived almost simultaneously not long before, their holds packed with high-quality building materials suitable for repairing and expanding the city. From her hiding spot Strawberry could see their crews gathered around the ramps, checking and updating their supply lists as dozens of Quartzes disembarked with heavy crates bound for the nearby warehouses.

She let out a slow breath. Morganite had promised to vouch for her if she was caught here, but it was difficult not to be nervous. This might be her last chance to learn the truth. There was no way she could mess this up.

An Agate supervising the unloading crews glanced in her direction, causing her to quickly duck out of sight behind the nearby craft she was using as shelter. If anybody came close she would have nowhere to hide. But it was necessary to be this close to the action. She just had to wait for the right moment.

A crimson Gem plodded heavily past, straining to support the weight of the heavy crate in her arms. Quickly Strawberry took her chance and leaned out from behind the craft, beckoning urgently as she hissed, “Carnelian! Hey! Over here!”

Carnelian glanced around and spotted her friend, lurking almost out of sight and motioning frantically for her to come over. A confused expression crossed her sweaty face, but she glanced back to make sure nobody was watching before slipping under cover as well. With a soft groan she set down the crate and wiped her forehead with the back of one hand. “Strawberry? I thought you got reassigned to some high-ranking Gem on the other side of the city. What’re you doing here?”

“She’s in an important meeting at the lesser palace,” Strawberry lied. “She dismissed me until it’s over. Listen, there’s something I need to talk to you about and it can’t wait until the next time we share the same break.”

Carnelian’s brow creased in concern and she glanced around once more, clearly feeling on edge. “Yeah? What’s this about?”

Strawberry bit her lip. As much as she had thought about what to say to prompt the answers she needed out of her friend, she had failed to come up with a gentle way of breaking the news. “When I visited Mookaite for my reassignment, she was in a call with White Opal’s Pearl. She said that you’re… that you’re the one who shattered that Tiger’s Eye outside the metalworking district.”

She had been expecting disbelief, denial, or even anger. Any of them would have hinted at the truth. What she had not expected was for Carnelian to instantly go rigid, her eyes wide in terror.

“She said that?” she whispered.

Strawberry nodded grimly. “She’s ordered for you to be shattered in return.”

Carnelian fumbled for the edge of the box and grasped it for support as she lowered herself to the ground. Strawberry joined her, sinking to her knees and eyeing her friend in worry. “But it wasn’t you, was it? It couldn’t have been. You’re the least likely Gem to defect from the Loyalists. Right?”

Carnelian was staring at her knees in silence, but Strawberry’s almost pleading tone caused her to lift her head. “… Can I tell you something in complete confidence?”

“I’ll never breathe a word to anyone,” Strawberry promised, shuffling slightly closer.

Carnelian reached for her hand and gripped it securely, as though seeking comfort from the contact. She swallowed with difficulty before admitting in a hoarse whisper, “I don’t remember the night of the attack at all.”

Of all the answers Strawberry had expected, that was not one of them. “What? But it was the biggest thing to happen here since the Kindergarten failure! Every Gem on the planet knew about it by the next solar cycle! How could you not remember?”

Carnelian shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know, Strawberry! One minute I was standing guard like I was supposed to be. The next thing I knew, everything was chaos and I was halfway across the district! Everything in between is just a blur. Anything could’ve happened.”

“You really don’t remember anything? Not one single thing?”

The red Gem hesitated, chewing her lip, her eyes darting away from Strawberry. “… One thing,” she confessed finally. “It’s not exactly a memory, but… I knew where we’d find Tiger’s Eye. I don’t know how, but I knew.”

For a long moment there was a ringing silence between them, broken only by the sounds of footsteps passing close by their hiding spot. Strawberry was fumbling to think of something reassuring to say but her mind was completely blank. She couldn’t make any sense of what Carnelian had just told her. All she knew was that it was completely impossible for her to have shattered an ally. She could never have possibly done something like that. Maybe somebody else from their new squadron could have done it, but certainly not Carnelian.

Carnelian withdrew her hand and forced herself to sit up straighter. “If I’m going to be shattered, so be it. Whatever our lustrous leaders decide must be right. I’ll accept it without complaint. Strawberry… I’m grateful to have served alongside you for so long. You’ve been a reliable comrade and a good friend.”

“Carnelian…” There were a thousand things that Strawberry wanted to say, but deep down she knew that they would only make it harder to say goodbye. She met her friend’s eyes again and forced a smile. “You too. I’m glad we could work together even after the rest of our squadron was split up.”

“Say goodbye to them from me, yeah? I might not get a chance to do it myself.” Carnelian managed a weak smile herself before climbing to her feet. Without another word she had hefted the crate into her arms again and strode off, clearly unwilling to prolong the moment. Strawberry remained there, still feeling the ghost of her friend’s touch against her fingers, struggling to fight back the tears that stung her eyes and blurred her vision until she could not see Carnelian at all.


	6. The Execution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azurite's conversation with her lover is interrupted, and Carnelian and Morganite witness a distressing scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning has been added for graphic violence. The following tags have also been added for this chapter: OC/OC, violence, and minor character death. As always, thanks to Etothefifth for helping plan out the next few chapters in advance.

Azurite couldn’t settle down.

Though her personal quarters were barely big enough to stretch out her arms without her fingertips brushing the walls, today she found herself unable to stop pacing restlessly back and forth in the limited space. She had left the room dark; the only source of light was the screen she had left expanded against the back wall, illuminating just enough for her to avoid bumping into the walls. Once in a while she cast a glance over at it, only to resume her pacing when she saw that hers was still the only gem displayed onscreen.

It was not as though she had been completely isolated since her return. 238 and 1NB had wasted no time in filling her in on the new plan. The thought of getting away once and for all had lit a fire deep in her chest and she found herself barely able to remain still for long, especially after her meeting with 238 earlier in the morning. But right now there was only one thing she longed for; one voice she desperately wanted to hear above all others.

She shot another glance at the screen just in time to see an orange teardrop-shaped gem appear alongside her own. There was a sudden lurching feeling in her chest and her legs stopped moving almost of their own accord. “2DW transmitting,” she blurted out immediately.

“Triple-8 receiving,” came the soft response. “I’m sorry I’m late. It was hard to get away today.”

Almost without noticing Azurite had moved closer to the screen. Now she found herself placing one hand against its smooth edge, her fingertips barely dipping into the holographic display as though she could reach through and touch the other Gem’s hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad to hear from you. I…” There was a momentary pause before her voice grew softer. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Triple-8 responded quietly. “I’ve missed you so much while you were away on that hunt. Every time you have to leave the planet without me, I wish you didn’t have to go.”

Azurite bit her lip, knowing Triple-8 wouldn’t like what she had to say next. “Even if my team hadn’t been assigned to this job, I would’ve asked to go anyway. This time it was personal.”

“2DW…”

“That Gem crossed the line.” There was the hint of a growl in Azurite’s tone. It was impossible to disguise her anger at the rebel. “She hurt you. I can’t just let that go. She deserves to pay for that.”

“But I’m fine, I promise,” Triple-8 insisted. “You know I’m fine.”

“That’s not the point. Anybody who turns a weapon on you deserves to die. Triple-8, I…” The anger faded from her voice and she sighed. “I just want you to be safe. I want that more than anything else in the world, other than to be there by your side.”

“Soon,” Triple-8 promised.

Azurite rested her forehead against the frame and closed her eyes. “Soon,” she agreed quietly. “Someday soon, Triple-8, I’m going to hold your hand. You don’t know how badly I want that.”

“You do?” Triple-8 sounded surprised.

“Yeah. I know we Azurites aren’t exactly the touchy-feely types… but I want so badly to take your hand in mine. I can’t even imagine how it might feel, but I know I’ll love it.”

“Even if you don’t, just standing beside you will be wonderful. We don’t even have to touch.”

Azurite felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought of finally being beside her love without work getting in the way. Her entire being longed for the freedom to talk to her, smile at her, or even simply look at her without having to fear for both of their lives. But before she could begin to formulate her thoughts into words, a gruff voice cut through her fantasies.

“491 transmitting. Am I interrupting?”

Azurite’s eyes snapped open and her cheeks flushed an even darker shade of navy blue. “No!” she blurted out as she straightened up. The warmth and love of a moment earlier were replaced instantly by embarrassment at being caught in such a tender moment. “Not interrupting. Uh, 2DW receiving.”

Triple-8 was silent. 491 waited a moment for her to speak before plunging into what she had to say. “I was hoping to catch you, 2DW. Don’t know if you’ve heard about the plan but some of us have started meeting up in person. I’m pretty sure I know who you are, but I want to confirm it. How about we meet in the west wing of the lesser palace just after sunset?”

Triple-8’s gem had vanished from the screen as 491 was talking. Azurite found herself staring at the spot where it had been, fighting back the urge to yell at the other Gem for scaring her away. The plan was more important, she reminded herself firmly. They could have as much time together as they wanted once they were free.

She shook off the temptation and drew a deep breath to compose herself. “The west wing? Fine. Tell me how to get in without alerting the guards.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking…”

* * *

The pathways were bustling with activity as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Sunset was a common shift change time in many parts of the colony; that was a fact with which Strawberry was very familiar. She had always disliked having to push her way through the crowds to reach her destination, especially when other Quartzes had refused to make way for her.

Now she was starting to realize just how much of a difference it made to be assigned to an important Gem. It was as though Morganite had a spotlight shining upon her. Gems parted to make way for her as she strolled along, ignoring everybody around her, both hands primly lifting the skirt of her dress just enough to keep it out of the way of her feet. Strawberry, following at her heels, had only to glare at any Gem who invaded her bubble of space to make them immediately back off. It felt as though simply by being in her service, Strawberry had been granted an entirely new level of authority.

She was beginning to understand why White Opal’s Pearl always looked so smug. This must be how powerful she felt every day.

The crowds thinned out abruptly and Strawberry caught a glimpse of tightly coiled pale hair ahead of them. At once she froze in her tracks, wondering if somehow her thoughts had summoned the very Gem about whom she had just been thinking. The sound of her footsteps faltering against the crystalline tubes beneath their feet prompted Morganite to glance back. “Is there a problem, 4SK?”

Strawberry barely seemed to hear her. Morganite followed her gaze, at first seeing nothing other than the usual groups of Gems hurrying from place to place. But just as she was about to ask again, she noticed a pair of Topazes striding purposefully away along a pathway that had just split off from their own. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted the far more slender figure leading the pair. There was hardly a single Gem in the colony who would not instantly recognize White Opal’s Pearl.

“Your former quarters are in that direction, correct?” She glanced over her shoulder at Strawberry, who finally managed to tear her eyes away from the trio. Her unsettled expression and grim nod were the only answers Morganite needed in order to know that they were thinking the same thing.

She could have simply ignored the situation and continued on her way. That was what Strawberry fully expected her to do. But instead Morganite responded with a brief nod and immediately changed direction to follow the group, Strawberry keeping pace close behind her.

The crowds thinned out until there was nothing obstructing their view of the Pearl striding confidently toward the garrison, flanked by her guards. Silently Strawberry found herself pleading that she would change direction. Maybe her true destination was somewhere beyond the building she and Carnelian had called home for so many years. Yet deep down she knew her prayers would go unanswered.

The Jasper on duty outside the garrison instantly assumed a Diamond salute at the sight of the approaching Pearl. After a brief discussion she nodded to the small group, who proceeded inside unhindered. Strawberry felt her chest constrict and slowed to a stop again, feeling unpleasantly lightheaded.

“They’ve come for her,” she whispered.

Morganite glanced around at the Gems within view. When she was certain nobody was looking their way she took hold of Strawberry’s elbow, guiding her quickly off the path and behind a nearby building. “If we’re careful, we can get closer without being seen. What do you propose we do?”

A thousand half-formed plans instantly sprang to mind, but Strawberry already knew that each and every one was doomed to failure. The Pearl’s presence would see to that. “I can’t… if we try to rescue her, we’ll be next. We’d be seen, or we’d have to shatter someone, or Carnelian might even turn us in herself…”

“Then what would you rather do?”

Strawberry’s only response was to shake her head and move forward to take the lead. Quietly she crept closer, using the buildings as cover, in search of the perfect hiding spot to witness what was about to happen. A slight frown began to crease Morganite’s lips as she kept pace with her guard, already regretting her decision to follow. If Strawberry had no plans to help…

“It may not be the best idea for you to watch this event,” she stated in a low voice as the garrison came into view once more. “I am having second thoughts about allowing this.”

Strawberry didn’t respond as she crouched down in the shadows, her eyes on the doorway. For a moment Morganite debated what to do, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps. She ducked down to hide behind Strawberry’s much larger figure as the Topaz guards came marching back outside into the fading light, both securely gripping the shoulders of the Carnelian who was being forcibly led along between them.

Strawberry’s hand was over her mouth as she studied her friend’s face. Even from such a distance her distress and discomfort were plain to see. Not even Carnelian’s bravery could hold up in the face of oncoming death. From among the shadows Morganite glanced between the two Quartzes, her lips tightening into a thin line as she came to a decision. She couldn’t let Strawberry sit here and watch her friend die.

“Come with me,” she breathed, taking hold of the other pink Gem’s arm. The force of her pull made it clear that her words were not just a suggestion. But Strawberry resisted and glanced back at her despairingly, tears already welling up in her eyes.

“I need to be here,” she whispered back. “She’s my friend.”

Morganite was about to respond more sharply when a low growl drifted to them on the still air. Carnelian had come to a sudden stop and dug in her heels, resisting the Topaz pair’s efforts to lead her onward. The Pearl, who had been following a few steps behind the trio, let out an annoyed sigh that was audible even from Strawberry’s hiding spot.

“Don’t make this more difficult than it needs to be,” she warned.

Abruptly Carnelian twisted aside and one of the guards lost her grip. In an instant she had dropped into a half-crouch and lunged, slamming her full weight into the belly of the Topaz still holding onto her. The unfortunate guard tumbled over her charging captive’s back and hit the ground hard, too dazed to pursue as Carnelian bolted for freedom.

The other guard’s heavy footsteps rang loudly against the path as she raced after the escaping Quartz. Strawberry noticed the dagger in her hand barely an instant before she threw it. With an animalistic roar Carnelian went down hard, her body bouncing once against the crystalline path, scattering flecks of light from the glowing wound in her leg where the long blade was now embedded as she skidded to a stop. One of her hands fumbled blindly for the handle to tear it free, but before she could find it the guards were upon her once more.

As fast as lightning, Carnelian twisted around and sank her teeth into the hand of the Topaz who had been about to seize her. She yelled in pain and recoiled, shaking her arm frantically an effort to dislodge her attacker. The red Gem used the sudden lift to her advantage; she kicked off from the ground with her good leg and launched herself upon the guard, fingers clawing furiously at her face, a feral growl emanating from her throat as she shook her head viciously.

The growl ended abruptly as a second dagger burst through her throat and jerked sharply to one side, severing her head from her shoulders in a single swipe. The light that spilled out of her illuminated the scene for the briefest moment, giving Strawberry a clear view of her friend’s startled expression, before Carnelian’s form exploded into a cloud of smoke.

Her gem clattered harmlessly to the ground. White Opal’s Pearl had been hanging back at a safe distance but now she finally came forward to rejoin her two guards, a screen in one hand and an expression of distaste on her face. She eyed the fallen gem with disgust, as though it was something contaminated. “Of course she had to make a scene. Finish the job now, before she reforms,” she ordered the guards.

“Right here?”

“You heard me. Destroy her at once!”

Strawberry had been watching the entire altercation with wide eyes, but now she finally turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to see any more. Her head rested against the wall and she tensed her shoulders as though bracing herself, but it was impossible to stop the tremor that raced through her body when a loud crack split the air. Morganite’s hand rested gently against her arm, but she barely noticed as she sank her teeth hard into her lip in an effort to stifle the sob that fought to escape.

Her tears were finally spilling over, dripping onto the ground and her knees even as she carefully shuffled completely out of view behind the building. There she sat down and hugged her knees, burying her face in her arms to muffle her uneven breaths. Morganite had allowed her hand to slip off Strawberry’s arm, unsure whether or not she wanted the comfort. There was a frown playing across her lips as she turned back to the scene outside the garrison.

Silently her eyes moved from one of the guards, who was wincing as she examined the bite marks on her hand, to the other, who was still grinding her heel against what remained of Carnelian’s gem. Her frown deepened as her gaze instead turned toward the Pearl, who had seemingly lost interest in the scene and turned away to speak to her screen.

“The attempt is clearly a failure,” she stated simply, raising her voice to be heard over the grinding sound behind her. “Maybe this will prove it’s time to start over.”

Without waiting for a reply the Pearl closed the channel and strode away. The pair of Topaz guards were not far behind her, leaving behind the smear of dust that had been a living Gem only moments before. Morganite’s eyes lingered on the Pearl’s retreating back for a moment longer before she turned her attention back to Strawberry, gently taking hold of one trembling arm.

“Come. It’s time to return to my tower. Let me help you up…”


	7. Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sugilite and Azurite secretly meet, and Strawberry discusses the execution with Morganite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This delay was brought to you by home repairs taking five times as long as they were supposed to. Special thanks to Etothefifth for sparing you all from entirely too much description at one point.

The darkening sky was visible through the windows as Sugilite paced slowly through the halls. Though she wore the grumpy expression that had become a regular sight since she had been placed under supervision, internally she was practically vibrating with tension and struggling to resist the urge to glance outside constantly. The meeting time was drawing close and she had hardly felt so nervous in years.

The hallways grew steadily more empty around her as she made her way through the west wing. More and more Gems had been resuming their regular duties in recent days; now almost every room in this section of the palace was empty while their inhabitants worked elsewhere. It was the safest place Sugilite could think of, especially now that she no longer had guards watching her every move. As long as 2DW was stealthy enough, their meeting should be even safer than communicating over their secret frequency.

By the time she neared her destination the last of the sunlight had faded from the sky, leaving the network of luminous pipes spread throughout the city as the only thing to be seen outside. From above it looked almost like a massive tapestry woven of light that had been draped across the land. But Sugilite was paying little attention to what could be seen beyond the windows. Now she was completely focused on her surroundings, alert to every twitch of movement and listening intently for even the tiniest rustle that could indicate a Gem nearby.

The door to one of the west wing meeting halls opened at her touch and she stepped inside quietly. There was no sign that any Gem had been here in days, but once the door had slid shut she spoke out loud to the empty hall. “All clear. Any trouble getting in?”

One of the tapestries on the wall moved. Her eyes snapped toward it as it was pushed aside, revealing a shallow alcove from which an Azurite was climbing. “Not at all. It was just as you’d said. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a less efficient shift change in my life.”

She landed lightly in a crouch as the tapestry fluttered back into place. Sugilite gave her an approving nod. “I had a feeling you were an Azurite. Didn’t think you’d have any trouble finding a hiding spot in here.”

Azurite winced slightly as she straightened up and placed a hand against her side. Sugilite raised an eyebrow at her. “Something wrong?”

“No. I’m fine.” Azurite interlaced her fingers above her head and stretched, suppressing a groan as she flexed her aching muscles. “I just came from a session at the greater palace. The stiffness takes a solar cycle or two to wear off.” Her arms fell to her sides again and she let out a slow breath, her eyes scanning over the Gem who was now approaching her. “I wasn’t expecting a Sugilite. But now that I think about it, the clues add up. It’s good to finally meet you in person.”

“Likewise.”

Azurite’s eyes flickered around the room as though to make sure it was secure. Once she was satisfied she moved toward the table and took a seat. Sugilite took the chair beside her, folding her arms on the table to lean against it. “So how many of the others do you know personally?”

“That’s all you wanted to discuss?”

Sugilite shrugged one shoulder. “Course not. But it’s a place to start.”

“To answer your question, I introduced 238 to the frequency. Triple-8 was the one who gave me access. Aside from you, they’re the only ones I’ve met in person.”

“You know Triple-8 personally?” Sugilite sounded impressed. “Who is she? From her transmissions it always seems like she knows exactly what’s going on in the lesser palace, but I’ve been the main guard of this place for decades and I’ve never found any record of a Gem with her cut and identifier living here.”

“You’ll find out when she’s ready,” Azurite replied evasively. “Who have you met?”

“Aside from you, only 628. I caught her transmitting years ago, but I was curious enough about what I’d heard to not turn her in. We met up to talk a few times and she gave me access after I decided I liked the idea of getting out of here. You sure you can’t tell me who Triple-8 is? It can’t be that much of a secret.”

A shake of the head was her only response. Sugilite had just opened her mouth to speak again when the whoosh of the door opening interrupted her. Instantly Azurite had vanished beneath the table and the purple Gem soon hit the floor beside her, flattening herself down on her belly as the sound of hurried footsteps entered the room.

Azurite’s hand had flown to the gem at her navel in preparation of summoning her weapon. Every muscle in her body was tightly coiled and her expression was one of laser focus, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the supports which blocked their view of the intruders. For the first time Sugilite understood just how terrifying it must be to be the target of an Azurite team’s hunt. But she raised a hand, drawing Azurite’s attention back to her, and gestured for her to wait. If they could avoid attacking anybody they would be in far less danger of bringing suspicion upon themselves.

As she began to slowly shuffle closer, the door slid shut and a series of quiet beeps indicated that a lock had been engaged. “There,” whispered a voice from the entrance. “Now nobody should be able to bother us. Nobody but another Peridot, but that’s unlikely.”

“Are you sure this is safe?” The second voice sounded more nervous, though its similarity to the first told Sugilite that both were Peridots. What she didn’t understand was what two technician Gems were doing here, especially when no repairs were needed.

The faint sound of movement was audible near the doorway. “It’s safe,” the first voice promised softly. “We have this whole room to ourselves until at least sunrise. Here, take my hand…”

Two sets of footsteps quietly began to approach them. When Sugilite dared to poke her head out from beneath the table, straining to see around the mechanisms supporting it, she spotted a pair of green-clad legs and a set of limb enhancer boots moving closer. The two soon moved out of view and Sugilite stopped, unwilling to get too close in case they decided to sit down and discovered her.

A few moments passed in tense silence before a new sound reached her ears. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to identify what it could be. It sounded almost like the clumsy smack of lips against something…

Her eyes widened in realization and she stifled a snort of amusement behind her hand. Of all the things she had expected from this interruption, this was not one of them. At the very least it was easy to take care of, though it meant she was about to ruin this pair’s night. She arranged her expression into a stern frown and crawled out from beneath the table, rising to her feet in one swift motion to face the intruders.

“What do you two think you’re doing?!” she barked.

The Peridots froze, still locked together at the lips. The taller of the two had backed her partner up against the edge of the table and had one hand against her waist, the other buried in her hair and parting it just enough for Sugilite to see her expression of pure terror. A moment later she broke the kiss and retreated several hasty steps. Her partner stumbled but quickly recovered, though her limb enhancer fingers were floating completely out of alignment as she spun to face Sugilite with a matching look of fear on her face.

“Repairs!” she blurted immediately.

Sugilite raised an eyebrow. “Repairs,” she repeated dryly.

“S… scouting for broken tech…?” the younger Peridot tried again weakly.

Her partner shot her a distressed look, clearly wishing she would shut up. “Is there any way you might forget you saw this? Please, we… it won’t happen again.”

Sugilite crossed her arms and stared back at the two impassively. “I should report both of you. It’s the correct response for unauthorized behaviour like this.” A moment passed in tense silence before she nodded her head toward the door. “Get back to work. Don’t let me catch you in here again.”

“Y-yes! Of course! Thank you!” The taller Peridot stumbled over her own feet in her hurry to get to the door, where she paused and gestured for her partner to hurry up and join her. A moment later the two were rushing from the room together.

Sugilite quickly crossed to the door, which the pair had left open in their haste, and mashed a trembling palm against the panel to close it. Her knees felt weak from delayed anxiety and she leaned against the doorway for a moment to recover, her stern expression crumbling into relief. Of all the Gems who could have interrupted them, it was incredibly lucky that they had not only been low-ranking enough to fear her but had also been doing something forbidden themselves.

She straightened up as Azurite emerged from beneath the table, looking thoroughly baffled by what had just happened. “A secret romance? That wasn’t what I was expecting at all.”

“Seems like we’re not the only ones who knew this place would be empty right now,” Sugilite responded as she crossed to the table. She sank into a chair again with a sigh, certain that they would not be interrupted again. At least, she certainly hoped not. “Now, back to what we were saying…”

* * *

There were almost no stars to be seen in the night sky above the colony. Even from the viewing platform at the very top of Morganite’s tower, only a handful of those distant suns shone brightly enough to not be obscured by the city’s lights. The absence of any moons only served to make the sky feel even more dark and empty. Even though Strawberry knew the universe was teeming with life, she had never felt more alone. Even the sound of the tower door sliding open did nothing to affect her mood.

Morganite stepped out onto her viewing platform and paused. The corners of her lips turned downward at the sight of the Quartz lying motionless on her back, her hair spread out like a halo around her head, her eyes fixed upon the sky. She had clearly not moved at all since the smaller Gem left her alone several hours ago.

“Do you plan to stay here all night, Strawberry?” she asked quietly. “I don’t believe this is beneficial.”

In response Strawberry lifted a hand and pointed up into the sky. “Do you see that star? The bright one, just east of the two dimmer ones.”

Reluctantly Morganite raised her eyes to the sky as well. “Yes, I see it.”

“That star collapsed into a black hole back in Era Two. 238 told me that years ago. We’re looking at a dead star, but from here it still looks completely normal. Who knows if it’ll even still be Era Three by the time the supernova is visible here?”

Morganite sighed and seated herself gracefully beside Strawberry. “This preoccupation with death also not beneficial. Carnelian had accepted her fate, correct? There’s no point in dwelling on it.”

Strawberry let her hand fall back onto her chest. “…What happened earlier doesn’t seem right, Morganite. I’ve been thinking about it for hours. The more I do, the more wrong it feels.”

“I know you’re grieving for your friend-“ Morganite began, only for Strawberry to cut her off.

“That’s not what I mean. Carnelian was loyal. She was completely devoted to the Great Diamond Authority and to the Loyalists. When I told her White Opal wanted her dead, she told me that she might be right and she’d just accept her punishment. I know she must have been scared, but she wasn’t one to change her mind and suddenly decide to resist.” Strawberry rolled onto her side to face Morganite, a frown playing across her lips. “And I’ve been fighting alongside her for thousands of years, but I’ve _never_ seen her act like that before.”

“Desperation can cause Gems to act very unlike themselves,” Morganite pointed out.

Strawberry shook her head in response, her expression troubled. “Not like that. Not Carnelian. I don’t understand what happened tonight, but it wasn’t normal. Something was wrong.”

She turned her face toward the sky again. “It’s just like that star. If we travelled to its galaxy we’d see that something was very wrong, but from here it’s impossible to tell. It looks fine to us.”

Morganite let out a thoughtful hum as she followed Strawberry’s gaze. “Immediately after the fight ended, I overheard White Opal’s Pearl communicating with somebody via her screen. She stated that the attempt is a failure and it is time to start over.”

“Do you think that was connected to what Carnelian did?” Strawberry enquired.

“It’s very possible, yes. I doubt she was talking about the Topazes.”

Slowly Strawberry pushed herself upright and folded her arms over her knees. “I keep remembering what Carnelian told me earlier this cycle. How she didn’t remember the night that rebel Aventurine attacked. At the time it didn’t make any sense to me, but…”

“Now you’re wondering if the incidents are connected?” Morganite finished for her.

“Yeah. And maybe they’re related to this… attempt.”

Morganite’s gaze drifted from the sky back to Strawberry, her expression filled with new respect. She had never known that any Quartz could be so perceptive and intelligent, especially when emotion should have been clouding her senses. “Yes, I believe you’re onto something. Perhaps Carnelian did not bring about her own fate at all.”

Strawberry heaved a sigh and rested her head against her arms. “… Whether or not I’m right, that’s as far as we’re ever going to be able to understand what happened. If she was a part of something that White Opal was doing, now she and her Pearl are the only ones left who know.”

“Also true…”

For a long moment the pair sat in silence. Strawberry tipped her head back to gaze at the sky again, a distant expression in her eyes. “I wish I’d had more of a chance to talk to her today. I mean, not just about the attack and what was going to happen. I decided a long time ago that before we left here for good, I was going to tell her how I feel about her.”

A sad smile crossed her face as she gazed up at the bright star. “It’s silly, isn’t it? Maybe it’s for the best that she never knew. She might have just felt betrayed when I disappeared, or maybe she’d have turned me in for expressing forbidden emotions. But if I was never going to see her again, I thought she deserved to know I loved her. Now she never will. All because I waited too long.”

Morganite was silent. Such emotions had never made sense to her and she was unsure of how she was supposed to respond. But a moment later Strawberry pushed herself to her feet with a groan and dusted herself off. “Should we check in with everybody soon? They might have news about the plan.”

“Yes.” Morganite rose as well, grateful for the change in subject. Without another word she turned and swept back into the tower, leaving the door open behind her. Strawberry paused for one last lingering glance up at the distant star before she followed.


	8. The Night Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan begins.

Unlike every other high-ranking Gem’s quarters that Strawberry had seen, the interior of Morganite’s tower was designed for functionality rather than comfort. As the two rode the lift down from the viewing platform the lights came on automatically, bathing the tower’s living quarters in a pale pink glow that seemed to reach every single corner and hidden spot. The lift came to rest at floor level and Morganite stepped off, her footsteps ringing against bare metal as she crossed to her drafting table.

Strawberry followed at a slower pace. Despite having had a full solar cycle to get used to it, she could still hardly believe that Morganite chose to live like this. There were no rugs or cushions for comfort, no windows to provide natural light or a pleasing view of the city while she worked. Rather than tapestries the walls were decorated with Morganite’s own diagrams, many depicting plans for the city’s expansion and development, as well as a few designs for specific buildings. The room was clearly dedicated purely to work.

Morganite had settled herself in a low chair. At the touch of her hand it rose higher, lifting her feet off the ground and swivelling automatically to face her drafting table. At once three large holographic screens flickered into life above her desk, displaying countless more plans and notes. Morganite swiped them away carelessly and dismissed two of the screens, her fingers flying over the display of the third as deftly as any technician.

Strawberry sank down into the only other chair in the room. It was cold and hard beneath her, but at least it was better than standing. She let out a sigh and rested her head back against smooth metal as the screen lit up with multiple images and the familiar voice of 238 broke the silence.

“-sent to load the supplies early. I’ll try my best to avoid suspicion, but the rest is up to you,” she finished tensely, seemingly unaware of the new arrivals to the conversation. Strawberry did not fail to notice how flustered and anxious she sounded and found herself sitting up straighter in response.

“1NB and 4SK transmitting,” Morganite stated calmly. “Is something the matter?”

“I don’t really have the time to-“

“I’ll explain,” interrupted an unfamiliar voice. “You need to focus on taking care of this. Good luck, 238.”

“Understood. 238 out.” Her gem vanished from the screen. Strawberry bit her lip, fearing the worst, though at the same time a flicker of nervous excitement coursed through her. She had never seen so many Gems using the frequency at once.

Triple-8 spoke up before Morganite could say anything. “You have very good timing. 1NB and 4SK, are you secure?”

“We’re in my quarters,” Morganite responded. “There’s nowhere more secure in the colony. Is that 2XB?”

“Sure is,” the new Gem responded cheerfully. Strawberry’s eyes flickered to the screen again. Morganite had described her first conversation with the offworld Gem in detail, but this time there was no feed of a darkened room among their icons. Instead a new stylized image sat in the lower right of the screen, this one a faceted white gem with uneven black lines that resembled cracks snaking their way across it.

“Who are we still missing?” The voice that spoke up this time belonged to 2DW. “Just 491, right?”

“What about 628?” Strawberry finally spoke up, feeling as though her mind was going to explode from all of the identifiers.

“628 is in and out of the transmission,” Triple-8 explained. “She’s been going around and alerting everybody to check in. You two would’ve been next if you hadn’t connected on your own.”

Strawberry opened her mouth to speak again but Morganite held up a hand to stop her. There was a small frown on her face as she enquired, “What’s happening?”

“What _isn’t_ happening?” 2DW fired back, sounding almost beside herself with excitement.

2XB was quick to explain. “You two caught the end of 238’s update, right? She recently got the word that she’s being sent on a trip offworld at sunrise. That’s our cue. This plan is moving forward tonight. If all goes well, the seven of you will be out of there and on your way to my base before the light of that planet’s star shines on the city again.”

Strawberry felt as though the ground had fallen away beneath her. She grasped the armrests of her chair convulsively, eyes wide as she looked to Morganite as though to confirm it. Somehow the other Gem kept her composure, though Strawberry didn’t fail to notice her hands splayed out on the desk to brace herself.

“How soon?” she simply asked.

“A soon as possible. That’s why we’re all gathering here. As soon as 238 gives the word that her preparations are complete, you guys are gonna sneak onto her ship together and hopefully get out before anyone notices you’re gone.”

2XB’s voice dropped into a more solemn tone. “Listen, I know this is sudden and exciting. You’re finally on your way to freedom, right? But I don’t want you getting ahead of yourselves. The time between now and sunrise is the most critical of all. Especially after you get the heads-up that it’s time. One slip-up could end it all in an instant. I’ve been there myself, back in Era Two.”

“You escaped back then?” Strawberry piped up, awestruck.

“I did. Back then it wasn’t just a matter of getting off the planet. We had to get completely off the radar from Gems all over the galaxy. The rest of my group lost their lives trying. That’s why I do what I do, helping out other Gems who want to be free. There’s not exactly much call for those kind of services any more, but… well, anyway.”

There was a short silence before Triple-8 spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. “Who were they?”

“Never mind that now.” 2XB’s easygoing tone was back, though it sounded slightly forced to Strawberry. She could certainly empathize. “I’ll cut my transmission once you get the word,” 2XB continued, “but once you’re on your way out I want you to contact me again. Triple-8, that should be no problem for you. I’ll guide you toward my base of operations. It’s not much, but I’ve assembled a handful of comforts over the years. You can rest here and take your time figuring out where you want to go next.”

“And help you,” Morganite pointed out.

“Well, yeah, I’ll admit that’s a part of it. But we’ll worry about that when you get here. For now just focus on surviving.”

Another icon popped up onscreen; the deep purple cabochon belonging to 491. 2XB didn’t even give her a chance to ask any questions before she spoke again. “Good, I think that’s everyone. Did 628 fill you in on the details?”

“I did, yes,” 628’s voice spoke up from the background. “Do we have an update? Does 238 need any help?”

“She’s getting everything ready and trying to deflect suspicion as much as she can. It’s just a normal everyday mission that happens to be a few hours ahead of schedule. Having anyone else around right now will only cause problems.”

“Sounds about right,” 491 grunted. “But that leaves us stuck here with nothing to do but wait. I don’t know how long the two of us can stay holed up here together before somebody finds us.”

“Then find somewhere safer,” Morganite stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “We need everybody to stay on the frequency so we’re all ready when the time comes.”

“Easy for you to say. You’re not the primary guard of an entire palace hiding out with a common maintenance worker.”

“Let’s not be at each other’s throats right now,” 2XB cut in before Morganite could respond. “You both have a point. 1NB, it’s not always easy to find a safe place. 491, is that spot the best you can manage?”

“She’s pretending to supervise me while I fix a damaged transport tube,” 628 explained. “These things take a while so we should be safe for now. As long as nobody sends another Fluorite or a Peridot in to help, at least.”

491 snorted quietly. “Don’t worry, I have experience with scaring off Peridots.”

“This is really happening,” Triple-8 breathed.

2DW’s voice sounded slightly huskier than normal when she responded, “Yeah. It really is. You told me, didn’t you? Soon.”

“Soon,” Triple-8 responded quietly. “Before long it won’t be ‘soon’ any more. It’ll be ‘now and forever’.”

Strawberry bit her lip and turned away from the screen, trying to ignore the aching hollowness deep within her chest. Morganite glanced at her before speaking up again. “Let’s focus on what comes between right now and when we’re on the ship. Each of us has a plan for getting to the spaceport without drawing attention, correct?”

“I think so, yeah,” 628 agreed.

“Good. Make sure you can properly put them into action from your current positions. It won’t be long now before the most dangerous part begins. Now, let’s review the main plan…”

* * *

Nephrite had done a lot of things in her lifetime. She had evaded space pirates, navigated into tiny landing bays without bumping the walls, piloted a ship safety through highly dangerous conditions, and even successfully performed emergency repairs on her ship’s core when it seemed in danger of overloading. But never had she been as terrified as she was now.

Her finger shook as she checked off another crate of supplies being carried onto the ship. The pair of Quartzes she had been assigned to help prepare for her mission seemed unaware of anything amiss, though she was sure they were displeased about being forced to interrupt their break early. As they hauled crate after crate onto the ship they paid little attention to the Nephrite supervising them, completely oblivious to the tremor in her hands or the sheen of sweat on her brow.

“That’s the last of them.” The unexpected voice startled Nephrite so badly she almost dropped her screen. Fortunately the Amethyst noticed nothing as she descended the ramp, wiping her own sweaty face with her forearm. “Still don’t get why we had to do this early when the mission prep wasn’t scheduled until hours from now…”

“I wanted to be ready ahead of time,” Nephrite responded, forcing her voice to remain steady. She waited until the other Quartz emerged from the ship before informing them both, “You’re dismissed. Don’t forget to tell your commander you won’t be needed later.”

“Finally a proper break,” one of them grumbled as the pair stomped off together. Nephrite ignored them; she was already hurrying up the ramp onto her ship, her eye fixed on her screen as she began to run through her pre-flight checks.

These preparations had never been more crucial. While usually her checks only mattered for the duration of one short job, she was highly aware now that they could mean the difference between life and death. They would never be able to return to the planet for proper repairs. As she paced restlessly through the ship she tested and retested every function multiple times, often pausing to listen closely to the steady hum of the core throughout the ship, engaging and disengaging the airlocks on each door, circling back to the bridge yet again to make sure the shields and weapons were fully operational, and constantly checking the fuel supply. She needed to work fast, before her assigned crew arrived for the mission, but it was equally important to be thorough.

By the time Nephrite slid into the pilot’s seat, she was completely certain that her ship was in the best shape it had ever been. There was only one thing left to do. Unsteady fingers keyed in her passcode on the communications console and she waited, inhaling the planet’s bitter air in an attempt to calm herself, for the connection to be established.

“238 transmitting. Preparations are finished. It’s time to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about all the identifiers. They were hard even for me to keep track of while writing this.


	9. Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebels gather at the spaceport.

Sugilite was fighting the temptation to shuffle her feet restlessly as the lift ascended. Her mind was buzzing with excitement, her thoughts racing wildly through every scenario she could imagine taking place over the next half hour. The time had finally come and it was costing her a great effort not to outwardly show her impatience as she and Fluorite were carried back up to surface level.

The moment the platform came to a stop on the ground floor, Fluorite was stepping off without waiting to be dismissed. Outwardly she looked completely calm, but she was walking slightly faster than necessary as she set off toward the nearest exit. Sugilite certainly couldn’t blame her. She would have liked to follow, but simply walking out was not an option for a Gem of her position. Her own escape would take a little more preparation.

Sugilite’s destination was the opposite side of the palace. She forced herself to move at a regular pace, eyes glancing over the face of every Gem she passed, as though she was simply going about her usual rounds. So long as she acted normal enough, nobody should realize that her schedule would ordinarily have her patrolling outside the library two floors away at this time.

She paused in a corridor halfway between the ballroom and the palace guards’ quarters. This seemed like the perfect spot to put her own plan into action. Quickly she paced from one end of the passage to the other, pausing at each intersection to listen for any sounds of nearby Gems. Once she was satisfied that nobody was around, she sucked in a deep breath, expanded her throat, and unleashed a bellow that sent shockwaves of sound radiating throughout the palace, shaking the walls and knocking every nearby door offline.

“ ** _INTRUDER IN CORRIDOR 1B6! UNAUTHORIZED INTRUDER!_** ”

The rest of her breath escaped her in a whoosh. Without pausing to recover she broke into a run straight toward the nearest door, which had automatically opened a fraction of an inch as it deactivated. Forcing her fingertips into the gap, Sugilite pried the door open and darted inside, shoving it shut again behind her. Even as she sprinted down the passage beyond she could hear the rumble of footsteps as dozens of guards converged on the place she had just been, ready to apprehend a nonexistent intruder while she was still dazed from the blast of sound.

Sugilite had never been the fastest or lightest Gem. Her job was to raise the alarm, not to chase after intruders, and whenever she ran her footsteps seemed almost as loud as her voice. But as she raced through the palace, taking advantage of any deactivated doors for shortcuts through areas that guards were normally not permitted to enter, she moved faster and more quietly than she had in her life. She didn’t have long before the guards realized that her shout was a false alarm - not to mention that she was nowhere to be found at the scene.

Half a floor away from the scene of her diversion, Sugilite slowed and let her footfalls grow heavier. The guards at the entrances would not have abandoned their posts, so she had no choice but to get by them another way. And sure enough, when she rounded last corner to the side entrance, she found a trio of armed and very alert Quartzes staring nervously at the sweaty and clearly furious Sugilite pounding her way toward them.

“Did you see her?” she barked at them breathlessly.

They glanced at each other briefly. “We didn’t see anyone.”

Sugilite let out a grunt of frustration. “Really? She just jumped out a second floor window and right into your line of sight, and you _didn’t see her?_ Do I have to do everything myself around here?!”

She put on another burst of speed and blew past the guards, who quickly stepped aside for her. Her footsteps pounded heavily against stone as she charged out of the palace grounds, cutting right across the first two pathways before ducking out of sight behind a building.

Under cover at last, Sugilite slowed to a jog and blinked sweat out of her eyes as she tried to regain her bearings. Running all the way to the spaceport was not an option; she would never make it in time. After the stunt she had just pulled, she doubted she could use a transport tube without being caught. That left one clear option. At once she changed direction, now heading for the very edge of the city.

Far beyond the shining off-white walls and spires of the lesser palace, overlooking the city from the mountain atop which it had been constructed, stood the greater palace. Unlike its counterpart it was a hulking shape of black stone and crimson metal, elegant yet threatening as it loomed above them. Its towers and twisted spires made Sugilite think of swords and spears in the hands of an army, and somehow its balconies and windows looked almost like a snarling face glaring down at the lesser Gems below. The sight of the structure always sent a shiver down Sugilite’s spine, but fortunately it was not her destination. Instead she was heading for its exterior warp pad just beyond the very edge of the city; one of very few in the entire colony, used almost purely as transportation from the city to the otherwise inaccessible palace.

Sugilite’s feet skidded against the smooth crystalline surface as she came to a halt upon the warp pad. At once light filled her vision and her feet left the ground, giving her shaking limbs a brief reprieve as she was transported to the spaceport on the far side of the city.

When her feet hit the ground again her knees buckled. She barely had time to catch a glimpse of a Fluorite and Nephrite giving her an alarmed look before she crumpled unceremoniously to the ground with a grunt. The sound of light footsteps reached her and a moment later Fluorite’s hands were gripping her arm, helping her painfully off the ground. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Sugilite muttered as she attempted to force her legs to support her weight again. “Is everyone else here yet? I’m not the last, right?”

“1NB and 4SK are already on the ship,” Fluorite told her, helping her over to where Nephrite was waiting. “This is 238, by the way. Nephrite, this is 491.”

“A Sugilite. I thought as much.” Nephrite nodded tensely to her, though her eye continued darting anxiously around at the hulking figures of the unattended ships around them. “You’d better get on board, quickly.”

“I will when I’m not about to fall over again,” Sugilite groaned.

“Did you run all the way to the greater palace warp pad?” Fluorite asked as she helped her toward the ship.

“From halfway through the lesser palace, yeah.”

She shook her head in amusement. “No wonder you’re exhausted. You can rest once you’re on board. The rest of our getaway will be up to Nephrite.”

The sound of pounding feet reached them and Sugilite turned, more interested in who had arrived than in getting safely on board herself. Azurite was sprinting toward them, her navy blue form almost invisible in the darkness. “I’m here,” she panted as she stumbled to a halt, glancing around at the small group. “We’re still waiting, huh?”

“Good to see you made it,” Sugilite commented with a nod in her direction.

Azurite glanced over, her eyes lighting up in recognition before she returned the nod. “Likewise.”

They were only missing one now, Sugilite thought to herself as she turned back toward the ship. But before she could take another step, a sudden beam of light illuminated the gathering as the warp pad activated once more. This time when Sugilite spun around, the sight of the new arrival caused her eyes to grow wide and her fists to clench as panic overcame her exhaustion.

Standing atop the warp pad was an incredibly nervous-looking Pearl; one whom Sugilite had seen many times before. A lock of tangerine hair fell across her eyes, nearly brushing the round cabochon gem set into her left cheek, as she surveyed the gathered group with nothing short of terror. There was only one reason a Pearl could be here, Sugilite thought to herself with a pang of distress. She had been followed.

“Sugilite-“ Fluorite began as the guard Gem jerked her arm free.

“We’re not getting caught now,” Sugilite growled. But as she stepped toward the Pearl, her hand flying to the gem on her bicep to summon her weapon, Azurite positioned herself squarely in front of the new arrival and stared back at her defiantly.

Sugilite’s eyes flickered from her face to the Pearl, who had clasped her hands in front of her as though to keep them from trembling. “What are you doing, Azurite?“ she growled. “That’s Apricot Agate’s Pearl. Let me deal with her before she calls for backup.”

“Tell them,” Azurite responded quietly. At first Sugilite thought she was talking to her, but then Pearl straightened up and visibly steeled herself.

Her orange eyes met Sugilite’s. “I’m Triple-8,” she stated simply.

For a moment a stunned silence fell over the group. Sugilite’s hand slid from her bicep, her mouth slightly open as she stared back at Pearl. She could hardly believe it. The unofficial leader of their group, their primary technician, the one who had orchestrated so many of their plans... was a Pearl? Not just any Pearl, but one who had been hiding right under her nose the entire time?

“This is why she kept her identity secret,” Azurite growled, helping Pearl down from the warp pad. Her gentle touch was a sharp contrast to the glare she was giving Sugilite and Nephrite, who was similarly stunned. “We knew you’d react this way.”

Nephrite began to stammer out a response, but whatever she was about to say was lost when a raised voice from some distance away cut her off. “238! Why is the ship ready so early?”

Nephrite’s eye instantly flickered past Pearl to the pair of Gems striding toward them. For a moment panic crossed her expression before it gave way to determination. “Everyone on board now! Move it!”

“What about the others?” Pearl gasped as Azurite started pulling her toward the waiting ship.

“You were the last to arrive. Move!”

Fluorite grabbed Sugilite’s arm and practically dragged her up the ramp. Azurite and Pearl overtook them halfway up and Nephrite was not far behind, cutting off the approaching Gems’ cries of confusion as the door sealed itself after her. She was already racing for the bridge the moment she was on board, the others following closely behind her.

Morganite was seated at the communications console, a frown upon her face as she gazed out of the window at the pair now running toward them. “We need to hurry before they raise the alarm. Is everybody here?”

“Yes. Let’s get out of here.” Nephrite shoved unceremoniously past the Strawberry Quartz blocking her path and settled into the pilot’s seat. Strawberry quickly retreated against a nearby wall out of the way, her eyes meeting Sugilite’s as she did. A flash of recognition crossed her face but she said nothing as the hum of the ship’s engines grew louder, vibrating steadily through the walls and floor of the craft.

Beyond the windows the ground fell away as they lifted into the air. The communications console lit up with an incoming transmission, but Morganite quickly dismissed it before it could connect. Nephrite turned the ship’s nose toward the sky and Sugilite found herself staring at the stars beyond the window. Never before had they looked so inviting to her.

And with a burst of energy from the thrusters, the ship blazed its way through the atmosphere and out into the void of space beyond.


	10. The Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebels flee for their lives.

As the endless void of space surrounded their ship and the hum of the engines settled into a steady rhythm, the air of relief within the bridge was almost palpable. Strawberry slumped back against the wall behind her, a spark of hope in her eyes as she gazed through the window. Sugilite’s tense shoulders had finally relaxed and the faintest sigh escaped her lips as she leaned more heavily against Fluorite, who was still supporting her upright. Even Pearl felt as though a tight band that had been constricting her chest for decades had finally loosened.

They had made it. After years of carefully balancing their work lives and using any free moments to stealthily plot and plan their eventual escape, finally they were leaving behind the planet that had been their prison for so long. Finally they were free.

“Triple-8, could you come here?”

Morganite’s voice startled Pearl out of her thoughts and she quickly stepped up to stand by the pink Gem, who raised her eyebrows slightly when she saw who had responded to her summons. Pearl expected an unpleasant comment, but instead Morganite simply slid out of her chair and stepped aside, gesturing to the communications console. “2XB isn’t using our frequency at the current time. You’re far more capable of making contact with her directly than I.”

Slowly Pearl settled into the chair and swivelled it to face the console. A part of her remained highly alert for any admonishments as she opened a channel and began to work.

“Nephrite,” Fluorite spoke up hesitantly, reluctant to disturb the pilot Gem, “is there somewhere Sugilite can sit down and rest?”

Nephrite didn’t take her eyes off her consoles as she responded, “The cargo hold is the most spacious place on the ship. Push the crates against the wall if they’re in the way. There shouldn’t be too many.”

“I’ll do that,” Strawberry stated immediately. Pearl heard three sets of footsteps depart the bridge behind her, though she didn’t look up from her screen as she quickly entered the final string of numbers and clasped her hands anxiously in her lap to wait.

The communication window that promptly opened displayed nothing but a few glyphs indicating that the call was audio only. The corners of Pearl’s lips twitched upward in to a smile; clearly 2XB had fixed the last vulnerability she had exposed. “2XB, this is Triple-8. Are you there?”

“Sure am,” 2XB’s cheerful voice responded immediately. “What’s the news? How did it go?”

“The seven of us successfully boarded 238’s ship and departed the planet,” Morganite responded from beside Pearl, her voice as calm as ever despite their great accomplishment. “It was not a clean escape, however. We were seen by two Gems shortly before liftoff.”

2XB responded with a thoughtful hum. “It’s likely they’ll figure out what you’re doing and send more ships after you. How fast is that thing? Got any weapons?”

“It’s a small transport vehicle,” Nephrite responded tensely. “The cannons don’t have enough power to fight off a warship.”

“Now that’s a little overdramatic. I doubt they’ll send a warship after you. More likely it’ll be-“

“Azurites.” Pearl barely noticed the word leaving her lips. Her eyes were fixed upon the scanner by her left hand, which had suddenly lit up with a warning. A small blip had appeared behind their ship and was gradually picking up speed as it exited the planet’s atmosphere.

Nephrite’s fingers flew over her screens and she swiped upward, projecting a view from the rear of the ship over a section of the window. Pearl glanced back at Azurite, whose jaw had tightened at the sight of the familiar battleaxe-shaped craft now pursuing them. She nodded briefly in response. “That’s a hit team for sure. They know we’ve decided to defect.”

“What exactly are you dealing with?” 2XB enquired.

Azurite moved to stand on Nephrite’s left, one hand poised by the weapon controls. “One ship, for now. It’s smaller than ours, but I’m betting a transport ship is nowhere near as manoeuvrable as that one was designed to be.”

“You’d be surprised,” Nephrite stated.

Azurite ignored her. “Don’t underestimate it because of its size. It’s designed to pursue and dodge for as long as it needs to. Fuel efficiency is almost unparalleled and the cannons can punch a hole through anything. If they land a hit on us too close to the ship’s core, it’s all over.”

Pearl slowly slid out of her seat and retreated against the wall again as 2XB replied, “I’ve never had to deal with an Azurite team before. How trigger-happy are they? Unless the weapons run on their own power supply, I’d assume they’d rarely fire to avoid draining their energy supply too quickly. Am I right?”

“Yeah, but the Azurite assigned to the weapon station is always the one with the best aim. When they do fire they rarely miss. It’s safest to stay out of firing range at all.”

Nephrite’s mouth tightened as she watched the ship closing in on them. They were almost in attack range now. “I’m redirecting power from unnecessary functions,” she stated, already focused on the screens as her fingers flew over them too quickly for Pearl to understand. She slid another window aside, toward Azurite. “I steer, you shoot if they get too close.”

“Understood.”

The ship gaining on them seemed to swerve upward as Nephrite changed direction. She began to bob and weave through the void of space, zipping erratically in every direction to throw off their pursuers’ aim. Though the floor felt perfectly steady beneath her feet, the sight of the blade-like craft wavering all over the screen quickly made Pearl feel dizzy and unwell.

She tore her gaze away and focused on the other Gems in the bridge. Fluorite and Strawberry had not yet returned, and quickly Pearl realized that she was the only one left who was doing nothing useful. Quietly, careful not to distract the other three, she crept to the door and out into the hallway beyond.

The low murmur of voices reached her as the door closed behind her. In a passage leading off the main hallway she found the two missing Gems sitting together, conversing quietly between themselves. They broke off quickly at the sight of Pearl and Fluorite flashed her a warm smile. “Hey, is everything okay?”

“Not really.” Pearl clasped her hands before her chest nervously. “We’re being pursued by a hit team.”

“We knew that was going to happen,” Strawberry murmured.

Fluorite nodded quietly in agreement, her smile gone. “It was very likely. But Nephrite and Azurite should be able to shake them off. I’m sure they have enough experience between them to get us safely out. It shouldn’t be long before we’re on our way to meet 2XB face to face.”

Pearl couldn’t bring herself to remind Fluorite that it was not so easy to lose a team of pursuing Azurites. After all, there was a reason so many Gems feared them. Instead she asked, “Is there anything else that needs to be done?”

“I don’t think so. We took a look around and everything seems basically immaculate. Nephrite really didn’t take any risks when it came to preparations.” Fluorite glanced down the hallway. “If you’re looking for something to keep yourself occupied, the cargo hold is just down there. Maybe we can make use of some of the things Nephrite was supposed to deliver.”

Pearl nodded in response and continued on her way, leaving the two to their conversation. She heard the murmur of voices start up again just before the cargo hold doors closed behind her, cutting off the sound.

The room she was standing in looked as large as every other part of the ship combined. Stacks of crates had been piled almost to the ceiling against one wall, but despite the space they occupied she was sure the entire group would fit in here quite comfortably. Her eyes wandered over the towers of stolen supplies, wondering where to begin, until suddenly her eyes fell upon a purple figure sitting slumped against the wall nearby.

A jolt of fear caused Pearl to suck in a sharp breath. Sugilite had been staring at the ceiling, apparently lost in thought, but the sound prompted her to turn her gaze toward the doorway. Automatically Pearl retreated a step, only to flinch when her back bumped against the closed door. She saw the flicker of guilt cross Sugilite’s face before the other Gem looked away.

Just when Pearl was debating whether she should leave, Sugilite spoke up in a low voice. “Sorry about before.”

Her apology was met with silence. Sugilite chewed her lip for a moment before continuing, “I wasn’t expecting to see someone like you. I mean, you know the general opinions about Pearls. They’re accessories, status symbols, representations of their owners… guess it never occurred to me that one could think independently and rebel.”

She groaned and covered her face with one hand. “I’m not helping my case here, am I?”

“No, it… it’s okay. I understand.” Finally Pearl dared to move further into the room again. Sugilite let her hand fall to rest on her chest as she watched the other Gem cautiously approach the crates.

“You just took me by surprise,” she said quietly. “Sorry for trying to attack you. No matter who you were back on that planet or on Homeworld, you’re one of us now. Here, let me get that for you.”

Pearl paused as Sugilite pushed herself to her feet with a grunt and came over to help. Despite her exhausted state she easily hefted the topmost crate from the stack, lowering it to the floor within Pearl’s reach. “You need any more taken down? It’ll be a whole lot easier for me than for you.”

“No… that’s okay.”

Sugilite shrugged and returned to her spot, where she sank to the floor once again. “You need anything else, just let me know.”

Pearl nodded quietly and rested a hand atop the first crate, though she didn’t open it just yet. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment before she spoke. “Sugilite… thank you. For the help and for… for accepting me. I’ve been afraid for years that when all of you learned who I am, you’d lose any respect you might have had.”

Sugilite raised her eyebrows. “Lose respect for you? From what I heard, even 2XB was impressed with your skills. And she’s clearly no novice with a screen herself. I’d hope I speak for all of us when I say you’re still Triple-8 to me. Even if that number was false all along.”

A small smile crossed Pearl’s face as she disengaged the crate’s lock. She hauled it open with a grunt and leaned over the edge to see what was inside. “Nobody else has reacted much at all. Maybe you’re right. But I don’t feel bad about keeping my identity secret for so long. It gave you a chance to see who I really am and what I can do, without your impressions being tainted by the knowledge of my gem type.”

The lid clicked shut again. “I really don’t want to ask you for anything, but… I’m trying to find out if there’s anything useful in these.”

Sugilite picked up her hint and stood again to bring down the next crate. Even as Pearl began to unlock it a third was deposited beside it. This time Sugilite continued methodically dismantling the stacks without asking while Pearl checked each in turn, silently thankful for the help she had been afraid to request.

When she pushed up the lid of the sixth crate she was finally greeted with a welcome sight. “Chroma-packs!”

“What-a-packs?” Sugilite paused with another crate in her arms to give Pearl a baffled look.

She responded by holding up a pouch labelled with medical and support glyphs. “Chroma-packs. They were developed for use on the battlefield, to heal damage to a Gem’s physical form much faster than a full regeneration. Azurite’s team used to use them during hunts whenever one of them got hurt. These could be really helpful.”

She clasped it securely in her hands. “Let’s set this crate aside so we know to keep it. I’m going to show this one to Strawberry Quartz. I think there are different strength levels, and if she has any experience with them she might be able to tell what type it is. We can’t afford to take the time to regenerate while we’re on the run so it might be important to know.”

“Why not show Azurite?” Sugilite grunted as she hefted the box in question.

“She’s…” Pearl hesitated, thinking about the pursuing craft, “… busy. Do you mind if I…?”

“Go ahead. I’ll keep hauling these things down for you.”

Pearl flashed her a brief smile before turning to leave. Perhaps she would have to stop by the bridge as well, she thought with a hint of worry. It was possible that Nephrite had managed to lose their pursuers, but she wanted to know for certain.

The door slid shut behind her with a soft whoosh. Pearl set off briskly up the hallway, anxious to learn what she had missed. She had taken five steps when a violent shudder tore through the ship, sending her crashing against a nearby wall. An echoing **_boom_** radiated through the hallway as she hit the floor, gasping and clutching the chroma-pack tightly. As she waited, eyes squeezed shut, there was a metallic thud from somewhere behind her.

Several seconds passed before Pearl dared to open her eyes. The lights were steady and the hum of the ship’s engines through the floor felt stable, which told her that the core was undamaged. Slowly she climbed to her feet, one hand against the wall to brace herself. The other ship must have landed a hit on them, she thought with another ripple of fear. But perhaps they had been lucky and the damage was negligible.

The fear transformed into cold dread as she turned to look behind her. A second set of heavily reinforced doors had automatically engaged, snapping shut over the entrance to the cargo bay to seal it off from the rest of the ship. She didn’t need to read the glyphs inscribed on either side of their flashing warning lights to know that they were an emergency airlock.

_Sugilite._

Pearl darted down the nearest hallway, panic overtaking sense. A window came into view and she practically threw herself at it. With her cheek pressed against the clear crystal she frantically scanned the void of space outside, hoping desperately that she was wrong.

A crate drifted into view and all hope drained out of her.

In the wake of their craft floated a storm of debris, spilled out into space from the hole blasted through the cargo bay wall. Among the twisted metal and the contents of Nephrite’s stolen shipment drifted a familiar purple gem, fear and shock written all over her expression as she twisted to look at their oncoming attackers. Pearl’s fingers clawed frantically at the window as though she could reach out and pull her to safety, tears of distress welling up in her eyes.

The other ship’s cannons began to glow with inner light as they prepared to fire again. Sugilite glanced from them to the rebels’ ship, which showed no signs of turning around, and Pearl saw her expression harden into resolve. Her foot found a nearby crate and she kicked off hard, sending herself floating directly into the line of fire.

In the vacuum of space, the explosion made no sound as it filled Pearl’s view with nothing but a blaze of blinding whiteness. But her own scream was ringing in her ears as the shockwave from the blast caught their ship, flinging it forward at a speed it could never achieve on its own.

The ship’s wild shuddering threw Pearl against the ceiling and cut off her cry abruptly. She hit the floor again and stayed there, fingertips clinging to the smooth metal as the craft slowly stabilized. Her eyes were squeezed shut and all she could see behind her eyelids was the blaze of light that had just ended Sugilite’s life.

“Pearl! Where’s Pearl?!”

Azurite’s frantic cry prompted Pearl to force her eyes open. As she lay there, willing herself to get up, she heard Fluorite’s shaky response. “I… I sent her to the cargo hold. Oh, stars…”

“Pearl!” Azurite’s scream sounded increasingly panicked as her footsteps pounded through the hallways, shaking the floor beneath Pearl. She pushed herself up onto all fours and remained there for a moment before climbing to her feet. As she straightened up Azurite skidded around the corner, pale and wild-eyed with terror. Her eyes lit up with renewed hope and she rushed forward. “Pearl!”

Before Pearl could react she found herself caught up in a crushing hug. Azurite’s face was buried in her shoulder, her hands trembling against her back as she clung tightly to her partner. “You’re safe… oh, thank the stars you’re safe…”

“Th… the other ship…”

“Falling back,” Azurite breathed. “It got knocked away from us. We’re okay.”

“Sugilite…”

“I know… we saw what happened. I know…”

“That was nearly me too…” Pearl’s entire body was beginning to tremble as delayed shock set in. “I’d only just left… I was a few steps away when… a few seconds earlier and…”

Her tears spilled over and suddenly she was sobbing desperately into Azurite’s shoulder. Azurite held her tightly, alternately murmuring words of comfort and admissions of relief as Pearl poured out her emotions. Slowly the two of them sank to their knees together on the floor, clinging to each other as though reluctant to ever let go, as their ship carried them ever onward.


End file.
